Darkest Before the Dawn: The 71st Hunger Games
by Thomas J. Flynn
Summary: The Captiol wants to remind the districts what their place is. These games will not only destroy the tributes' bodies, they will test their sanity.
1. Prologue

**One Week Before the Reaping**

**The Capitol**

**Chace Castellan**

My hand moves on its own across the paper, I've done this so many times before that it's become instinctual at this point. It's my skill, all victors have to learn a skill, and mine is charcoal drawings. It's different than the coal from District 12, no this coal comes from burning special trees from 7 in a specific way. I've been to both Districts a couple times, and I remember how shocked at what I saw the first time. The first stop on the victory tour was 12, I couldn't believe the way they lived, they practically had nothing. That was three years ago, after I won the 68th games.

"Hey," Edmund, District 5's victor from a few years ago, slaps me on the back, "What ya drawin'?" I draw all kinds of things for the Capitol, but there is only one kind of drawing I do for myself. Portraits, specifically of those that died in my games; Finch, Dale, Azeika, even my old district partner Storm. The one I'm working on right now is the same one I've drawn a hundred times before, Proxy. "You're drawin' Proxy huh?"

"Yes," I answer quietly. I can hear Edmund shuffling his deck of cards, and I know what's coming next.

"Pick a card, any card." Of all the talents to choose from Edmund chose magic tricks.

I sigh. "Why magic?"

Edmund cocks his head to the side as he so often does and smiles wryly. "Magic is just like the Hunger Games, which you and I had the good fortune of surviving."

"How?"

"Both are made to entertain, but both are about deceiving the viewer, and distracting them." He shuffles the deck once more. "You think you see one thing, but you only see what the one holding the cards wants you to see."

"Alright fine, I'll play along," I shrug. I draw a card; it's the eight of clubs.

"Memorize it," he informs me. I nod letting him know I've committed it to memory. "Now place it back in the deck and shuffle the cards."

"So how is this like the games?"

"You have selected, seemingly at random, a card, much like the tributes are drawn from the reaping bowl. This is the first part of the trick, a selection."

"Do you really believe the reapings are always random? They know what name will come out of that bowl whenever they want," I sneer.

"Do you really believe I didn't know what card you would draw?" This catches me off guard, but I know this is just part of the deception, he couldn't possibly know what card I would draw, I didn't even know. I quickly check the cards making sure that there aren't duplicates or something, but it seems to be a real deck. "Alright, had me the deck please," he asks. I place the deck in his hand and he inspects it searching for the card.

"So this is…"

"This is like the games themselves, I'm shuffling through the cards, but you aren't sure what will happen, some cards are discarded," He tosses a card to the floor, "Others kept, for a time…" He slips a card back into the deck. "This is the main event, when I have your attention, when you are most distracted…"

"Fine where is my card?"

"It's not in the deck," He answers simply.

"What?"

"You see this is the last part of the trick, the finale, where all the distraction pays off." He smiles.

"So this is like the end of the games, the victor and all that?"

"Yes, but of course, like myself the gamemakers are nothing if not theatrical, so any good trick, or Hunger Games won't end the way you think. Check your pocket."

Slowly I reach into my pocket, and sure enough there is the eight of clubs.

"Very nice," I think I'll get back to my drawing." I say dismissing his impressive trick.

"I hope you learned something…" He smiles and walks away to talk to some other victors. Edmund only the second male tribute in District 5's history, and the only one in the rebellion. Edmund's mentor, Onyx Amarous, is a worse drunk than even Haymitch, and he never seemed to be the rebellious type, he was practically a career from District 5.

There aren't many careers in the rebellion; there are only a couple others besides myself, people like my friend Finnick. The Capitol has really done horrible things to him, to all of us. Of course everyone in this room has done horrible things. I killed three people in those games, my closet childhood friend, my ally and a defenseless little kid. I've drawn all of them in charcoal again and again.

That's why I joined the rebellion, to fight the evil of the Capitol. But the more time that goes by, I can't help but wonder if I've traded one devil for another. The deeper I get into the rebellion, the more frustrating it becomes. Some in the rebellion seem more concerned with seizing power for themselves than freeing Panem, chief among them is District 13's president, Almia Coin. She is difficult to read, she's shifty, unpredictable. At least with Snow I know where I stand, he deals in cruelty, while Coin deals in deception.

It seems that I have to choose the lesser of two evils, Coin is not killing twenty-four children in a giant spectacle, however I wouldn't put it past her to do it if she thought it would put her in power. While we have never met face to face, I've spoken to her over video transmission many times. I push for us to rise up and rebel, but Coin insists the time isn't right. Every year more die in the games and we do nothing, and things are getting worse. The C.U. the self-righteous Citizens United, are responsible for the death or arrest of hundreds. They accuse and report rebel sympathizers, or just plain harass anyone they dislike.

Snow will take vengeance on the people of Panem as well, between Proxy at my games, and Annie Cresta winning last year the Capitol will want to remind everyone who is in control. We have people working undercover, including two gamemaker, Pluarch Hevensbee and Virgil Williams. Pluarch is with Coin, always scheming, laying in wait to take power. Virgil is different however, I really do trust him. He wants to end the games as soon as possible, he sees the twenty-four who die each year as people, not just statistics.

The Capitol continues to send these children to their death and we only watch. I'm glad there are so many other victors from 2 so I don't personally have to mentor the children who will either die or become murderers. If what Virgil tells me is true this year may be one of the worst ones yet.

* * *

**So here we go, after a long break I've finally got around to starting the follow up to my story Blood Debt. For anyone unfamiliar with my first story, Chace was the victor of that story. Don't worry if you haven't read Blood Debt, you don't need to have read it to get this one. However there will be a few references to Blood Debt, and perhaps even some stories written by others, easter eggs, if you will.**

**Here is the tribute list:**

**District 1**

Male: Rook Delacroix-16

Female: Safyra Hope-17_  
_

**District 2**

Male: Kayde Roberts-18

Female: Mina Sablier-16

**District 3**

Male: Ekronik Rodell-15

Female: Seiswen "Nesie" Keiberger-12

**District 4**

Male: Baron Aleric-18

Female: Maya Blake-17

**District 5**

Male: Charlie Watsen-18

Female: Violet Prior-18

**District 6**

Male: Reid Meyer-15

Female: Brooklynne Satire-17

**District 7**

Male: Arto Green-16

Female: Terya Wylie-16

**District 8**

Male: Ivan Hill-18

Female: Isabelle Catcher-16

**District 9**

Male: Cal Barnes-18

Female: Chel Byrne-15

**District 10**

Male: Adian Kay-15

Female: Darcy Eowyn-15

**District 11**

Male: Jasper Jarrah-15

Female: Leighann Ash-18

**District 12**

Male: Lucian Night-16

Female: Marly Gray-14


	2. Sundown

**PART I: THE SELECTION**

**One Day Before the Reaping**

**District 2**

**Leeylla Roberts**

"Hey," I greet Chace as he walks out of his house in the Victor's village. I know he doesn't like being around this place unless he's indoors so we are quick to head to the town square. The past few years have been tough for Chace, and who can blame him after the things he told me about the games. He has tried to distance himself from them as much as possible, which is why what I'm about to ask him is going to be so difficult.

I remember the conversation I had with Chace three years ago, begging him not to go into the games, but now in some cruel twist of fate I need to ask the opposite. "Chace," I begin, "I need to ask you to do something for me…"

"Yeah, what is it? Whatever ya need." He says with a smile.

I sigh. "You need to mentor this year." I don't know what to expect Chace to say, he certainly wasn't expecting me to ask something like that. I am more against the games than anyone.

"No," Chace says simply. I know that I'm not the first person to ask this, the Captiol has been pushing for him to do it for years, he a popular victor and the job would be his if he wanted it. Of course there is nothing he wants less, and I don't blame him.

"Chace, liste-"

"There are plenty of other victors in 2," He cuts me off "I'm not going to do it, do you know who else is mentoring this year?"

"Yes," I answer. The Victor of the 64th Hunger Games, Glorianna Shields, is mentoring again this year. She was also the older sister of Storm Shields, killed by Chace in the 68th Games. Chace grew up next to the Shields, their whole family is made of victors, and he is the daughter of one. They don't blame Chace, after all Storm wanted to kill him just as badly, but they can't hide how much they miss Storm. In the village he can stay in his house, or run to the square, but if he mentored with Glorianna they would need to work together to keep their tributes alive. "Chace, you don't understand," I add sadly.

"You think I don't understand? I know that I should have never gone into those games, I should have listened to you, but I didn't!" The stress has been getting to Chace, I've been his confidant, he's told me about the rebellion and how he doesn't know who to trust anymore. I might be the only one he does trust and now I'm asking him to relive his darkest hour.

"Chace, it's Kayde, tomorrow he is going to volunteer, he needs someone good to watch over him…he's…I can't" I feel tears swelling up behind my eyes.

Chace stops and takes a deep breath. "Have you tried to talk him out of it?"

"Yes," I respond, my pleas to Kayde to keep away from the games were just as unheeded as they were to Chace before his games.

Chace closes his eyes and slowly says "Alright."

"Thank you, Chace." I say simply. I can't imagine how difficult it will be for Chace, but I need him now, I need him to make sure my brother comes home alive.

**District 1**

**Safyra Hope**

The bell rings dismissing us from class, and I gather my books. I can hear the giggling of the girls at the back of the class and I see one of their bony fingers pointed at me. When I turn my head towards them they erupt into a fit of laughter.

I just need to get through one more year of this, then I'll volunteer for the Hunger Games and escape these awful people. I can live in the Victor's Village, far away from the girls who have tormented me for so many years. I know a lot of people do it for the riches, but I have no need for any of that. My father's jeweler business gets a lot of business both here and in the Capitol. No, my reasons for joining the games are more personal than financial.

"Hey Safyra are those new shoes?" I hear someone yell in a mocking tone. I ignore them; I've learned just to shut out them by now. "Whoo, little pretty miss perfect, didn't you hear me, or are you too dumb to answer." I don't give them the satisfaction of responding. They always have assumed I was just some dumb blond because of my looks, but I get better grades than any of them.

"Don't worry about them they are just jealous of your beauty," I hear a familiar voice behind me. I turn to see a face I can't place immediately.

"Do I know you?"

"Yeah," he smiles, "My dad is in charge of overseeing the exports to the Capitol, he's very important, I've met you and your dad a couple times."

"Oh," I say as my memories of this rather arrogant boy swim back into my mind. "You're Rook Delacroix, right?"

"The one and only, and you…" I feel his eyes move up my curvy toned body, "Are Safyra Hope, I wouldn't forget someone quite as stunning as yourself."

"Yes, well…." I say crossing my arms over my chest, "I've got to be going."

"Too bad, maybe we'll see each other sometime soon…"

"Maybe," I say as politely as possible before practically sprinting away.

I hear someone running behind me and I think that Rook is trying to catch up, but then I hear the familiar sounds of the screeching harpies taunting me. "Was that your boyfriend, the pretty boy? Ohh, why aren't you special." I just keep walking, my frustration is building, but I can ignore them. "What's the matter, princess?" Okay, I'm done ignoring them.

"What did you call me?"

"Oh I'm sorry, princess," she emphasizes this word; she knows how much I hate being called princess. "Will you ever for-"

Her sarcastic rant is cut off mid-sentence as I punch her in the face. "Don't call me princess." The girls look at me with sheer terror.

"Yo, you'll pay for ttthat…." The girl on the floor stutters whipping blood from her chin.

"No, I'm leaving, for good." I walk away from the confused girl. I can't handle another year of this, I've trained enough; I've learned all I can. No point in putting it off any longer. Tomorrow I'll volunteer for the Hunger Games.

**District 6**

**Reid Meyer**

I am usually not outdoors like this at sunset, however tonight I have decided to make an exception. This might be my last night here and I want to make sure I at least one final District 6 sunset. Perhaps I can draw some inspiration for some of my stories, the view is quite breathtaking. People often only associate District 4 with the ocean, but we have a coast in 6 as well. Our coast isn't used for fishing however, our industry is oil, and the ocean here is filled with oil derricks.

The lights on them turn on around this time; the people on them work into the night, but I also think they're there in case some fishing boats get off course, that way they don't crash. I wrote a story about a lost fisherman from 4 once, Captain Jacobs. He was this cool sea captain who crashed into a reef and ended up on a desert island.

That story was always one of my mom's favorites, she always like to listen to my stories. I think it helps her feel better, she has been really sick for almost a year. It truly is a shame; my father has to work a lot to pay for her medication, if it wasn't for that it would be much worse. Unfortunately this means I don't often get to see my father.

I walk to the end of the pier and cautiously lean over to look into the ocean, holding my glasses to my face to ensure they don't fall into the water. They would be expensive to replace, I know because they were broken once before. Sometimes the kids around like to pick on me, they call me a little girly boy. I suppose they do have a point my figure is somewhat feminine and I am short, but luckily I don't have to go to school where they could tease me further. My mom teaches me from home, I like it; we get to spend time together. Tomorrow could be the last time I see her, my name is in the reaping bowl a large number of times, I've had to take tesserae a lot. I wish the Capitol could find a more peaceful way to deal with the Districts, I believe that violence is never the optimal answer.

The sun has set now, the lit up derricks really are a sight to behold. I imagine myself on one working every day. I think up a story about the crew finding buried treasure, but we have to hide it. This will be my next story. I escape into my head for about an hour before I decide to head home. It's getting very cold.

**District 8**

**Ivan Hill**

I can hear the fight from here. I miss it sometimes, hell I'm miss it most of the time, including right now. There's noting like the feeling of punching a guy in the face, breaking his nose. I don't enjoy putting dudes in pain or some crap. I'm not like those psycho careers; it's just that fighting feels good. It's an awful good outlet for my anger; I've got plenty of that.

Whatever, I gave that junk up, and I'm not the reminiscent type, I don't like all that emotional crap. I've got someone besides myself to look after, and I lost track of that for a while. Then I got older and I got smart. I walked away. Someone has to look after my little sister. My brother Ly helps her more than I do really, but without both of us I don't know what would happen to her. That's why I quit, I can't risk it, getting hurt or killed; she needs me.

I get a drink from the bartender and sit back to watch the fight. I don't think I'll be home tonight. Ly is used to that by now; sometimes I'll just be out on the street for a week. That place never was my home, and it's sure as hell not now. We inherited the place, our whole family used to live there. Me, Ly, my sister Lily, Mom and Lily's dad. Me and Ly have the same dad, but he split a long time ago, he was a deadbeat. So then she meets some new jerk, only good thing about that was we got my sister. We played happy family for a while, when that didn't work he left too. Then Mom killed herself. I guess it was because he left, I don't know. All I have of her now is a stupid diary. Thing makes no damn sense. I've read it over and over.

"STOP!" The loser of the fight is lying bloody on the floor, begging for the pain to end. It's a little pathetic. He should show some dignity in defeat. I got my ass kicked plenty of times here, and I took my beating. His friends go to pick him up and I see money exchange hands. The winner's friends give him some liquor. Good for him.

I haven't had the luxury of friends, I don't know why. I don't let anyone here or anywhere else know how being alone that makes me feel. No one can know that. There is only one person who understands me, Lily. Even Ly acts a little weird around me. I don't know, I just can't read people. I don't display my emotions, and I don't understand other's emotions. Maybe if I did I'd know why Mom killed herself.

I pay my tab and walk out of the bar. I change my mind about going home, I'm not sure why. The reaping is tomorrow morning, but I'm not worried about being reaped, my chances are too low. My sister is safe too; it's her first year, just one slip of paper. She hasn't taken tesserae, and she never will. I haven't had to take much either, only once or twice, and this is my last year. Ly is definitely safe; he's old enough to be ineligible.

"Hey" he says when I walk in the door.

"Hey," I reply.

"You're home…." His voice trails off as he says this.

"Yeah, I am."

"I'm glad your back…." He smiles at me. I'm happy to see him, but I'm not big on smiling, so I just nod back. I really am happy to be here. I think he knows that, but I'm not sure.

"Goodnight."

**The Capitol**

**Virgil Williams**

The new head Gamemaker has drilled the nightmarish details of the games into my head over the past few months. He got the job because of a single idea. Last year the games weren't going well, the career pack was weak, the tributes from 4 weren't even involved. One of them, the female, went insane when the male died. Crane wanted to spice things up, so he suggested flooding the arena.

I don't think he knew how important that idea ended up being, it showed that the Capitol was willing to choose a victor. There was a rumor that the Capitol wouldn't intervene in a final battle since a tribute tried to pull something like that a few years back, before she killed herself. The flood showed that the Capitol can choose to kill whenever wherever, that the tributes are not in control, and neither are the districts.

It's been difficult working undercover these past few years; I've questioned my morality over and over. I've done horrible things; I don't know who I am anymore. I come up with horrible ways for children to die, and I try to tell myself it's alright because I pass little tidbits of information to the rebellion.

I want to do more, do something, anything, they keep telling me it takes time, we need to build a stronger rebellion, they tell me that District 13 is still too weak to fight back and the Districts need a "spark" to wake up. I don't understand how two of their citizens being sentenced to death every year isn't enough of a spark. The powers in charge of the rebellion say that the twenty-three who die every year are not a big enough number to be immediately concerned about. The hundreds of thousands that will be saved with the rebellion are the ones we need to be worry about.

So I keep on designing death traps to kill children, every year. I put them in situations I know that will lead to their deaths. I engineer vicious mutts to devour the children. I do it all with a smile. We pop champaign while watching children being killed. I feel like I'm going crazy.

Pluarch doesn't even seem bothered to do it. He loves building all those traps and devices, he loves all of it. The stress is getting to me; I need to take pills to calm my nerves. I have to make myself numb, turn off my emotions. Snow can't be allowed to suspect me at all; I have to stay alive to be able to make a difference.

The games are almost here, tomorrow is reaping day. I've already had too much to drink tonight. I stare at my lavish fireplace, I'm alone in my huge house. One of the many benefits of being a gamemaker, I suppose.

* * *

**And here we go! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter, tell me what you thought in a review. Ok so lemme tell you guys how this story is gonna go. Most SYOTs spends the first few chapters in reapings, but I want to try something different. I'll still have a reaping chapter, but only one, then I'll do a train chapter and an arrival chapter and so on. That means that some people won't get a reaping POV, but everyone will get at least one POV before the games start, including the ones in this chapter. I'll introduce the characters over the course of the story. This means I can get into the thick of the story sooner, and avoid sounding repetitive over 24 reapings. Other than that I'll have the same format of Blood Debt and the original novels, three parts of nine chapters each. Also I want to apologize in advance if my updates are a little slow, I have more outside writing obligations this time around, but I will still try and update at least one chapter a week. **

**Other than that I just want to thank all my readers and submitters. I see a lot of familiar faces from Blood Debt, so welcome back, and I am also glad to see new submitters and readers, some even have gone back and read and in a couple cases even reviewed Blood Debt, and that means a lot to me! **


	3. Reaping Day

**District 11**

**Jasper Jarrah**

"Shhh" I whisper to Mandius, I don't need him giving up our position to the peacekeepers before the opportune moment. I've gotten plenty of whippings for playing pranks on the peacekeepers before and I don't need any more on reaping day. This admittedly isn't my most ingenious trick, but I want to get one in before the reaping just in case.

I can see the peacekeeper, just a few more steps and he'll be in range. Annnnnnnnnnd now! I chuck the rock at the peacekeeper's head and it makes a satisfying thud on his helmet. He is disoriented and in the confusion Mandius opens the cage filled with the mockingjay's we spent the day gathering.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh" I shout in a very annoying tone. Almost instantly the mockingjays repeat it. The peacekeeper gets hit bearings, but he has no idea where we are, our noisy escape is masked by the screeches of the jays. I hear him swear as he frantically searches for us. For a second there I thought he had a concussion, but he recovered too quickly. I know the signs of a concussion well, I've had a couple in my time, things like that happen when you get into fights, and I don't back down from a fight.

Me and Mandius slip back into the town and no one is the wiser about our little excursion. Mandius, short for Ozymandius, has been my right hand man for years, and a good right hand man he is. We walk through the town and flirt with just about every girl we see. I do love the ladies.

"Where have you two been?" I hear a familiar voice behind me.

"Hey Toyin." Toyin is the only girl that I wouldn't think of flirting with, not 'cause she isn't cute, she is with her freckles and green eyes, no, we're just too close, she's practically my sister. We've know each other since we were babies.

"So what were you doing?" She prods.

"Oh nothing…" I say with my lopsided smile, "Just throwing some rocks at the peacekeepers, that's all."

"Always the rebel, you plan to start a new rebellion?"

"I told you, I'm not pretty enough to be the face of the rebellions," I laugh. Scars and cornrows aren't exactly the look of a leader.

Mandius heads over to the sixteen year old section, while Toyin and I meet up with her brother Caelus and the others in our fifteen year old section. Caleus is bit overbearing following us around and all, but he's saved our skin on a few occasions. He's a wreck right now. "Welcome everyone…" the escort has grown less and less enthusiastic every year. He doesn't even bother to say anything before reaching into the bowl and grabbing the first name, "Leighann Ash." I hear an insane laugh from the eighteen year old section and a taller girl with about twenty earrings and a tattoo over her left breast goes to the stage.

The escort doesn't introduce her, he just moves on to the boy's bowl. "Jasper Jarrah." I become rooted to the ground, and I guess a few minutes pass because they send some peacekeepers to grab me. I try to fight them off, but I don't do well. They stun me and drag me to the stage, propping me up next to Leighann.

Leighann turns to me and whispers, "You've got some fight in you, don't get in my way or I'll have to kill you in the bloodbath."

Looks like a District 11 alliance is out of the question.

**District 8**

**Isabelle Catcher**

"Hey Isabelle, I made you some dinner," My brother Noah points to a plate on the counter.

"Thanks," I answer, hanging my apron on the coatrack.

"How was work?" He asks as I pull up a chair to the counter.

"Pretty easy," I answer before digging in to the food.

"How about you?"

"Oh not too bad, had some peacekeepers complain, but that's usual."

"Guess that happens when you're a chef, someone will always complain, but," I take a second to swallow, "They don't have any real reason to, this is great."

"Yeah well you should know about dealing with complaints, I'm sure the Victors give you plenty of grief."

"They are actually pretty nice, for the most part." Cecelia's tips alone have been a major source of income for the family. Between Noah's job, my parent's jobs at the factory, and my job we haven't had to take any tesserae.

"Yeah well, they have seen things that would mess anybody up," Noah says sadly. Noah is always a bit sour about the Hunger Games, a couple of years ago his friend got reaped and didn't make it back. Neither of us says much until it's time to go to the reaping after that.

Soon enough I'm in the town square and the mayor has given his speech; I can see the familiar faces of the victors up on the stage. Their names are read off by the mayor, as well as the two long dead victors. "Now," out escort walks over to the reaping bowl, "Time to find out who will be heading to the games." She crosses to the bowl and plucks out a name. "Isabelle Catcher!"

There has to be some sort of mistake, I don't take any tesserae, my name is only in there a couple times, this isn't right. It hits me like a brick wall, I really am going in. I'm on the verge of tears as I walk up; everything around me is so silent. The escort introduces me and moves on. It's eerie standing up here; the only sound is the escort speaking on the loudspeaker and the howling wind.

"Ivan Hill." She's read the boy's name now and I see him walking toward the stage. He is tall with bronze hair, his face completely emotionless; his blue eyes stare ahead at nothing. He doesn't say anything to the escort or to me when we shake hands. It's very intimidating.

I'm lead away to the justice building and instructed to wait for people to come say goodbye. I finally break down; when my brother comes in I'm a complete mess, tears streaming down my face, my nose running. He doesn't say a word he just sits down next to me and pulls me close to him. I cry and howl as I lay my head on his shoulder, we both know I'm going to die.

**District 6**

**Brooklynne Satire**

"Shhhh…" I whisper to Emma stroking her head, "Everything is going to be alright, you're just going to be with Auntie Beatrice for a couple hours, then Mommy will be back." I carefully hand Emma over to my sister, "Beatrice, thank you so much."

"It's alright, you know how much I love my little nice," she says holding Emma close to her.

"Listen, I need to ask you for something important," I say as casually as possible. My sister stares at me, I know she can tell what I'm about to ask. "If I end up-"

"You're not getting reaped," she cuts me off.

"I know that a one year old is a huge resp-"

"Brooke, you know it's not that, if it came to it I would take care of Emmilne, but it won't," she says sternly.

"It's just you're the only one who-"

"Listen, nothing is going to happen" she interrupts me again "…but you know if it did I would be here for her."

"Dad wouldn't be happy to hear you say that," I say with a little smile.

"Yeah well, Dad wasn't too happy about me letting you and Emma move in here, so who cares what Dad says."

"Thanks," I say sheepishly. After I got pregnant, and decided to keep the baby everyone abandoned me except Beatrice. The whole rest of the District turned their back on me, my dad, Emma's father, and worst of all was my mother. My father hasn't spoken to me since she slit her own throat.

I say goodbye to Emma and Beatrice, and find my spot with the other seventeen year olds. The Mayor gives a speech and then the escort goes up to pick the names of the two children who are about to die.

"Alright…" she sighs, she doesn't seem any happier to be here than any of us, "First the girls…."

I hold my breath, this is it. She awkwardly opens the slip of paper and calls out the name, "Brooklynne Satire," my name. I feel like crying, and I almost do. I see the hateful judging eyes look at me as I walk to the stage, but I don't care about that, all I care about is that I won't be there for my daughter anymore.

I get to the stage, still barely able to hold back tears. The escort heads over to the other reaping bowl and draws a name, "Ried Meyer." I scan the crowd till I see him in the fifteen year old section; he is some short kid with glasses. Reid gets to the stage and stands there nervously for a second before he pukes on the escort's shoes, they don't make us shake hands.

I can hear a woman weeping, and I see a man console her, they must be his parents. She reminds me of myself a little, she is obviously much older, but I feel her pain, she is being separated from her child, a child who I will have to outlive if I'm going to see my own child again.

**District 7**

**Arto Green**

"SCREW YOU TREE!" I shout throwing my knife at the dumb tree. It sticks in the tree, I hate trees. I hate District 7. I hate my stupid drunk dad. I'll never be a dumb lumberjack. Chopping down these dumb trees and sending the wood to the capitol to do whatever the hell they do with it, I dunno, building gazebos, or using it in their big fancy fireplaces. Whole thing sucks.

The only thing I like about wood is that I can widdle it. That's the only time I don't feel like killing myself, when I'm carving something cool. I grab my knife from the tree and a branch lying on the ground. I know I won't have time to finish it, the reaping is in just a couple hours, but I need to do something to keep my mind busy.

I know that I won't be back to finish it later because I've decided to kill myself by volunteering for the Hunger Games. I have nothing left to live for, so I'm just gonna end it, it's not like anybody will miss me. I don't have any friends or brothers or sisters, and the girl I like doesn't know I exist. Dad doesn't care about anything since my Mom died, she was the last person who cared about me. So I decided to kill myself, what better way to do it than to sign up for the Hunger Games? This way I know I'll die, plus I'll get to save someone else. Maybe then people will stop thinking me of a weirdo and think of me as a hero, like that kid from 5 a few years ago. That would be cool.

Soon enough it's time for the reaping, I toss my half-finished carving back in the woods and stick the knife in a tree. I won't need either anymore. I got caught with a knife once before, I have to carry a special permit saying I need it for widdling, I sell some of my stuff. If any peacekeepers found out I was tossing it around, even just at trees, I'd be in big trouble, well, not anymore, after today nothing matters.

It doesn't take long to get to the reapings; I sign in and take my spot in the sixteen year old section. The crowd around me is muttering but I don't hear anything they are saying. I'm sweating and nervous, I almost want to back out, but I can't freak myself out now.

"Welcome everyone," the escort says over the loudspeaker. "I'm so excited to announce our two lucky tributes, may the odds be ever in your favor." Will this idiot just shut up; can we please just get this over with?

"Alright, now it's time to choose out girl…." She reaches into the bowl and grabs a name. "Terya Wylie." I hear a murmur and a girl from the sixteen year old section making her way to the stage. I recognize her, she has light brown skin and black curls, she puts on a brave face as she walks to the stage. I'd seen her around. She has gotten picked on too; she is one of the few worthwhile people in the district.

"And out boy is….Kalen Ram!"

"I volunteer" I say practically in a whisper. A few people hear me and look at me strangely. "I volunteer!" I say louder this time and the escort hears me. I walk slowly to the stage, I did it, I was a little worried I would wuss out, but I did it. When I finally get to the stage the escort turns and asks me why I volunteered. "To die," I answer.

I shake Terya's hand and go into the Hall of Justice. They tell me that now is the time when my friends and family will come and say goodbye. Sure, that would be the case if anyone cared about me, but then I wouldn't need to kill myself. Suddenly the doors open, and at first I think there is a mistake, that someone was looking for Terya's room, but then I see who it is, my dad.

"Son…" He stumbles over to me obviously drunk.

"What do you want?"

"I'm surry" he slurs his words, "Eye syuda bin there wen yur muther died. Now I'm lusin yu too."

"What?" My father has completely ignored me for months and now he says this. I don't have a chance to say anything else 'cause he passes out, and the peacekeepers drag him away. This doesn't change anything, it doesn't matter.

The door opens again, this time it's someone even more unexpected. Kelly Horace, the girl I'm in love with. I can tell she's been crying. "Kelly….what are you doing here?"

"Arto!" She runs over to me and hugs me. I've never been held like this before, like she actually cares about me. "What is going on?" I ask.

"Why?" She asks hitting me on the arm.

"I…I don't…didn't have anything worth living for."

She looks really hurt when I say this. "What about us?"

I stare in shock for a minute, "But…you….you like me?"

"Oh, you're such an idiot." She grabs me tight and kisses me on the lips. My first kiss. "Promise me you will try to come home," she says.

"I will…" I say hugging her back. It looks like I actually have something to live for, and I'm only finding out after signing up for the Hunger Games.

This sucks.

**District 5**

**Violet Prior**

It's been three years, and things are finally starting to get back to normal. Well, definitely not normal, things never can really return to normal when two of your best friends are killed in the Hunger Games, but I'm beginning to learn how to come back to reality. There were six of us back then; me, Azeika, Dale, Lysander, Alex and Zane. Dale and Alex both loved Azeika, but Alex was always better with girls, so they went out, well for a little while. By reaping day they had split, while Dale was still too nervous to tell her how she really felt. Everything changed when Azeika got reaped. Dale volunteered to try to protect her, and they both died in the games.

After that we all lost ourselves for a while. Alex blames himself for everything; he's been getting more and more rebellious and we are worried about what he will do next. Zane tried to deal with all of it with humor; he was like Dale before the games, very logical and intelligent, but he doesn't take anything seriously anymore. Lysander has been the one to keep us sane and together, especially me. He reminds me of both Dale and Azeika at times; he has the best of both. I'd always had a crush on him, and after the Dale and Zee went into the games we grew even closer. We're engaged now; at first my parents were concerned about me an eighteen year old girl moving and preparing to marry someone who is himself only twenty, but they came around. They know that he is the reason that I'm beginning to be my old self again. I'm finally starting to escape the nightmare.

Today is reaping day, a day that always brings back horrible memories. I have to go to the town square and watch as two of our citizens receive a death sentence. I'm alone in the reaping section, all of my close friends are too old to be reaped, but I see a few familiar faces in the fifteen year old section. I see Azeika's younger twin siblings, Harry and Hayden, as well as Blaine River, the kid Dale volunteered for. Blaine was just twelve back then, he really has grown up a lot.

I get so lost in thought about the past few years I hardly notice that the escort is already picking the first name, "Charlie Watsen!" I see Charlie walk to the stage, and the horrible memories of Dale and Azeika going up there flood back into my mind. "So Charlie," the escort asks him as he gets to the stage, "are you excited to represent your lovely district in the games?"

"Yeah, can't wait for the fun to start," he says very sarcastically.

"Uh…yer...very well," the escort awkwardly moves on to the girl's reaping bowl. She draws a name and clears her throat. "Violet prior."

It can't be happening.

No, no, no, no, I….I thought I'd left the games behind. It's like a horrible dream, I watched as my friends were murdered three years ago, but I thought I was done with the horror of the games.

Now I'm going in.

* * *

**There you have it, the reapings are done, I hope you guys enjoyed them, tell me what you thought in a review. I had fun writing this one, I got to do some reasarch, going back to Blood Debt to make sure that I remained consistent with my portrayals of the districts. I couldn't do a scene in District 5 without a Blaine cameo. So what did you guys think of the tributes, any favorites so far? Okay, it's 4 in the morning I'm going to sleep!**

**UPDATE: The District 11 female's name has been changed at the request of the creator. Sorry for any confusion, she is now Leighann Ash.**


	4. Departure

**Maya Blake**

**District 4 Female Tribute**

The boy standing next to me at the train station and I have known each other for years. I've made a point to keep tabs on him; after all he keeps tabs on everyone. We each have very different reasons for volunteering, I'm doing it to bring my family's name back to what it once was, and he is trying to prove he deserves to be a part of his family. My family was once like his, respected. He is the son of a Victor, but he has been a disappointment since the day he was born. He is a runt, short and puny. He tries to build himself up, but there is no way he can be like the other career boys.

My family always looked for more, to climb up the social ladder, but the higher you are the farther you fall. They arranged a marriage for my twin sister River to a Victor to increase our social standing. River always had a bit of a rebellious streak in her though, she hated the games. She was also already in love with a boy named Ash, the younger brother of a dead tribute. River and Ash gathered family members of dead tributes, people like Leff Twila, and tried to stop a reaping two years ago. It didn't turn out well. Ash and most of the others were killed, but River was captured. Rumor is she is an Avox in the Capitol now.

After that I began to train. Training is where I met Baron Aleric, son of the famous Ajax Aleric, Victor of the 48th Hunger Games. Despite him being a year older and having trained longer I was able to surpass him physically quickly. I learned from him to trust few people and to rarely give my word to anyone. But he wasn't the only Aleric I met in training. His fifteen year old sister, Ceres, is the perfect tribute in their father's eyes. She is already ahead of many of kids her age, and she plans to volunteer when she turns eighteen. No one in the family puts much stock in Baron's chances to win the games, but writing him off has only made him want to prove to them that he is worth something even more. Only one of us can accomplish their goal, and I wouldn't be surprised if the inevitable career break up was a direct result of the two of us. We each have something worth fighting and living for, and neither of us trusts the other.

The train pulls up and we step on, it is a long way to the Capitol. I'm a bit apprehensive about going. I believe that my sister is there somewhere. It may be naïve, but I also believe I will see her sometime during the next week, and maybe a possible reunion with her is another reason I wanted to volunteer in the first place.

**Marly Gray**

**District 12 Female Tribute**

When I step on the train I feel like I'm in another world. I've never seen anything like this before, everything in 12, including myself, is so dull and washed out and usually covered in a layer of coal, but here everything shines.

"Oh my dear, we can get you some new clothes on the train and give you a good shower, but you'll have to wait on a full makeover till we get to the Capitol," the idiotic escort Effie Trinket tells me. I don't like her, she is so fake, all dressed up with her wig and makeup and dress. I on the other hand hate all that girly stuff; I didn't even bother getting that dressed up for reaping day. I'm sure I look horrible to her, no makeup, and my dark hair is dirty, I look like so many other kids from the seam with grey eyes and tan skin. Effie is covered in makeup head to toe so who knows what her skin color really is, and the same goes for eye color, I'd guess she wears contacts as some kind of Capitol fashion. As for my district partner Lucian, he's pretty pale, and he seems even paler because of his dark brown eyes and black hair.

The guy has a bit of a reputation around the poorer parts of the district. To put it simply he's a thief and a psycho. I've heard he's obsessed with electricity doing things like killing animals, and judging by the scars on his body it must be true, looks like he's been shocked a few times. I've even heard rumors that he tried to steal from the mayor and tried to kill someone with electricity. I suppose I'd judge him harsher, but I know that in a week I'll be trying to kill him too, along with twenty-two other kids.

I keep thinking I'll wake up back in my house, I'll go to my mom and tell her about my bad dream about how I got reaped. But I know this is no dream. I'll be lucky if I get to see my mom or any of my friends again. You know you never think this kind of thing will happen to you, I mean how many kids are there in 12. This morning I was just a normal fourteen year old tomboy. My friends and I were throwing rocks at the windows of old abandoned houses. I just like having fun. Then Trinket called my name and everything got crazy.

Now I'm going to learn to be a killer. There isn't a lot of fun in that. I've used a slingshot before, but never to inflict pain on anybody. I guess Lucian will have the advantage there if there is any way he can whip up some electrical trap. Still I think there are other things I could be good at, I'm fast, and I'm smart, so that's two advantages right there. Plus I know what it feels like to be hungry. My mom and I always didn't have enough to eat. It's just been the two of us for so long, Grandma and Grandpa died a few years back and Dad left too. He and my Mom tried to make it work for a while for my sake, but some people just aren't supposed to be together. Today was the first time I'd seen him in years, when he came to say goodbye to me.

My thoughts are interrupted as the compartment's door slides open, it's Lucian. "Hey," he says.

"Hey," I respond. For a moment we sit there sizing each other up, until he finally speaks up:

"You know where the bathroom is on this train?"

**Seiswen "Nesie" Keiberger**

**District 3 Female Tribute**

"Mind if I join you?" the boy tribute asks when he walks into the compartment. I shake my head, "Good, it looks like they are about to start replaying the reapings," he points to the T.V.

District 1 is first, obviously and both tributes volunteer, they're both really pretty, and the girl looks nice. The tributes from 2 are both volunteers too. Then is my District and I see myself cry. 4 has more volunteers, a short guy and a girl with dark hair and grey eyes. In District 5 there is a sarcastic guy and a girl who looks almost as sad as I was. In 6 the guy throws up. 7 is super wired, the girl seems normal, but then a guy volunteers he looks like he is trying really hard to make people think he is depressed or something. 8 and nine both have tough looking guys. 10 has two more average tributes, at least that's how they look to me. 11 has a tall crazy girl and a boy with dark skin who looks like he has been in some fights. Last is 12, the guy seems weird but the girl looks pretty nice.

"Are you doin' okay?" the boy sitting next to me asks. I nod. He grabs a tissue and wipes away the tears from my eyes. "Good," he smiles, "I was worried about you." He seems nice. "My name is Ekronik," he shakes my hand.

"I'm Seiswen," I blow my nose, "My friends call me Nesie though."

"Would it be alright if I called you that?" Ekronik asks. I nod again. "Good, we can watch out for each other, alright."

I look up at him, he seems like he is telling the truth. "Do you promise?"

"I promise," he answers.

I hug him, and he seems a little surprised. "Thanks, I'm glad I have a friend." I don't like to be sad, I always try to be happy but sometimes it's hard. I was crying a lot when they read my name. It's good that I have friends though, sometimes the tributes from the same district team up, we can't both win, but we can try to make it as far as we can together. I know that we don't really have a chance, but if I'm just sad the whole time then the careers or somebody is gonna get us. I should just try to be as happy as I can be.

"Okay Nesie, are you good at hiding?"

"Yeah, pretty good I guess." I used to play hide and seek a lot with my friends when I was a little kid, and I was always the best."

"Good, so am I so we can hide, then the other tributes can't find us."

"So," someone new is talking now, it's one of the mentors, I didn't even hear him come in. "I guess you two want to be trained together?"

"Yeah, that's what we want, right Nessie?" Ekronik turns to me.

"Yeah!" I shout.

"Alright, I'll have to talk to Wiress, but she should be okay with that," our mentor says.

Elronik smiles and replies, "Thanks Uncle Beetee, that means a lot."

**Charlie Watsen**

**District 5 Male Tribute**

I'm in my room watching a recap of some old games, the 37th I think they are. There is some huge mutt, they call it a dragon, fighting the career pack. I turn off the T.V. and head out for a snack. It's then that I run into Violet. She's an absolute mess; she keeps running her long blond hair through her fingers. She doesn't even notice me until I speak up. "Hey," I announce myself.

She practically jumps when she hears me. "Oh… hey."

"So what did you do to piss the Capitol off?" I ask.

"What?" she asks confused.

"Well take me," I begin, "I'm a pretty rebellious guy, and I don't exactly hide it, my dad works with the Capitol, so I've seen their officials around occasionally. I'm sure that word got back to them that I'm a 'bad egg', so here I am. I don't take any tesserae; it's pretty obvious this thing is rigged."

"You think so?"

"Definitely. I'm not the only rebellious tribute; look at that kid from 11. Then there is the guy from 3, he is the nephew of some old victor. So," I turn back to her, "What about you?"

"I had some friends in the Games a few years ago, I think the Capitol might think my friends hold some rebellious feelings because of it."

"Oh…" I say feeling a little bad. "Who were they?"

"Their names were Dale and Azeika."

"I remember them," I tell her. "So, is the Capitol right?"

"About what?" she asks confused.

"Are you holding some 'rebellious tendencies?' "

"Some of my friends do, but…I'm….not so much."

"Well then maybe you're being made an example of." This seems to hit a nerve. "Hey, I'm sorry." I quickly head out of the room, I guess I can seem sort of negative sometimes, but I'm just being truthful. Still I don't want to bring this girl down; she was a friend of Dale and Azeika's. I wasn't lying when I said I remembered them, in fact they were pretty inspirational to me. They both took stands against the tyranny of the Capitol. Dale volunteered, and decided that he would not play by the Capitol's rules. Azeika was an important figure too, she was outspoken against the capitol, I remember the riots that took place after Dale's deaths, for a while the District was united against the Capitol. But it was fleeting; they are back in line now.

No one is more in line with the Capitol than my idiot parents. They've tried in vain for years to make me a good citizen, but I had none of that. I'm not going to be some blind slave like so many others in Panem. I need to show the people that I'm different than them, I'm a free thinker. I'll let people know the truth, whether they want to see it or not. The fact of the matter is that most people aren't worth the time, deserving nothing more than a sarcastic response.

**Cal Barnes**

**District 9 Male Tribute**

It's always hard for me to fall asleep, I've been lying on this nice bed on the train for hours with my eyes closed, but I'm not any closer to falling asleep then when I laid down. I used to be able to fall asleep pretty easily, years ago, things were different then; I've changed.

I used to be weak, formless, brittle, like the ore we work with in 9. But like that ore I went through fire, I was hammered into something strong, sturdy, something better, just like ore becomes steel. That's our industry, steel. Well, that's what it is officially, and we do have steel mills, but there's something else we make, chemicals. More specifically chemicals that can be used as weapons of some kind. Everything from knockout gas to deadly tasteless odorless poisons like iocane powder.

I worked in a factory that dealt with these chemicals were manufactured. We worked on a very volatile chemical, and one day there was an explosion, that's how I got all these burns. Still I got the better of it. Twelve of us in there died in the initial explosion, so I guess some chemical burns are nothing to complain about. There were twenty-six of us in the factory then, before the explosion, I always thought that meant something, it was so close to the number of tributes in the actual Games. That first explosion was like the bloodbath. The fourteen of us that survived were sealed in the factory; the Capitol declared it a quarantine zone. We would be sealed off for a hundred days, by then the deadly chemicals would have completely dissipated.

It didn't take us long to figure out that we didn't have nearly enough food for all of us to survive that long. A big kid, Tyrell, tried to kill everybody the first day, and it he managed to kill two of us, but someone got him too. In the next couple weeks five more died from their injuries, either from Tyrell or the chemicals. After a month we all started to realize that Tyrell had the right idea, if we didn't start cutting down our numbers we would all starve.

We all started to murder each other. I killed three myself. Only one of us didn't participate a girl, Marsh; she just hid. Soon enough it was just the two of us, I tried to find her for weeks, and I never did. She found me. She told me that she had run out of food and wouldn't fight me and she killed herself so I could live. She cheated me out of my victory; I would have killed her so easily. For the next fifty-two days I was completely alone.

Then on the hundredth day the quarantine was lifted, and I walked out. I wasn't the same weak little boy as when I went in, I was a Victor. I had won my own Hunger Games, after all that's what that was. Twenty-six went in and one came out. No one else saw it that way though, they didn't think of me as a Victor, just as some crazy kid. I deserved to be seen as a Victor, but I was seen as a monster, I'm no different than any other tribute who had been reaped. So I decided I would go back. I will prove to everyone that I am a real Victor.

I will win the Hunger Games.

Again.

* * *

**Aggh, I'm so sorry I'm late, I'll do my best not to do it again, I promise, but I should be less busy from here on out so that's good! Anyway I hope you guys like the chapter, this new format is very fun for me to write, so hopefully that translates to an enjoyable experience for you. Hey YOU! Person who always reads but doesn't review, I kindly ask you to leave a review telling me your honest thoughts, even if you aren't fond of something. And to those who reviewed last chapter, thank you so much, your words meant a lot to me! Oh and also thanks to those who tried to review but couldn't I've heard about some technical issue with the review button. Oh and I'm well aware that the movie posters say that 9's industry is grain, but that's not really canon for the books so i took some liberties to make things more interesting. Besides isn't grain covered in agriculture anyway?**


	5. Arrival

**Darcy Eowyn**

**District 10 Female Tribute**

"Wpphhhw," Aiden whistles as we come out of the tunnel. "I didn't know that people could build something like this." Aiden is right, the Capitol is pretty amazing. I mean I've seen it before on T.V. but up close and personal it's different. The city is almost indescribable, it's defiantly beautiful, the buildings are immense, bigger than I would have thought possible. And it isn't just the height, there are so many of them, the city stretches as far as I can see. It's all so vast, and the colors… they are so bright and vivid, they don't even seem real. None of it does.

I can appreciate why some people might like this, Aiden seems pretty enthralled, but it's not for me. I like nature; I don't know, there's just something about sitting by the pond, smelling the flowers, maybe a family of ducks nearby. The sunlight would be spilling through the trees, the sounds of District 10 all around me, the crickets, the birds. I'd be writing in my diary too. I was allowed to bring it this far but they are going to take it from me in the arena, it's not an eligible token.

"Hey look at that," Aiden says pointing at some Capitol people, "What are they wearing?" Aiden is right, they are dressed in crazy clothes, everyone looks so weird, just like our escort, I always thought she was just strange, but she is just following the fashion trends. "How do you think I'd look with some of those outfits? I think I could pull it off," Aiden jokes. He looks over at me with a smile, but I don't say anything. "Tough crowd," he says turning back to the window.

It's weird, my best friend back in 10 is named Aiden too, it's a common name there, but he couldn't be more different than this guy. This guy is always joking around, he wants people to like him, and he wants everyone to be in a good mood. Aiden from back home is very serious, he doesn't care if anyone likes him, and not many people do. He's a loner, which is why we became friends I guess. I'm a bit of a loner too, and we sort of started to hang out.

I wonder what kind of arena we will be put in; I can remember so many different arenas over the years. I remember one that was a tropical island with a jungle and all kinds of crazy mutts in it that would eat the tributes; they were fast and vicious, and really smart too. That was a pretty tough year to watch, the mutts kept picking everybody off, they were these huge lizard things with sharp teeth and they could smell blood.

Another year the arena was this huge place covered in fire, take a wrong step and you got burned alive. There were lava flows and all kinds of stuff. Some tributes found a cave with some water in it, but the careers found them and killed everybody, then the careers broke and killed each other. The boy from District 1 managed to survive, and win the games, but not without a lot of burns.

Maybe my arena will be up in the sky or on the ocean, maybe it will be a forest, they are forests a lot. I remember a forest from a few years back, with flowing rivers and tall trees, almost as tall as the buildings in the Capitol. The leaves fell like autumn. It would have been beautiful if it weren't for-

"Hey," Aiden snaps me back to reality, "We're pulling in," he says with a smile.

**Leighann Ash**

**District 11 Female**

I'm completely naked, even my piercings have been taken out. The prep team stripped me down and ripped out my body hair, stole my seventeen earrings and bellybutton ring and left me here to wait for Odysseus, the stylist. My scars and tattoos are exposed, although you wouldn't be able to see my scars unless you looked close. My mother is a strict woman; she is also a psycho bitch. While my scars aren't that visible my tattoos certainly are. There is of course the one above my heart, the symbol of eternal life, then there is the word "fearless" above my ankle, below my left breast is a snake forever devouring itself, and lastly across my back is my last name, Ash.

A door slides open and what must be Odysseus is standing in front of me. His skin is pale, probably died, and he has a lot of dark eye makeup on. His hair is blonde and spiked, it gives him a crazy look. "Well, aren't you something…" he says looking me over. "Well we can definitely work with this." He's right, some guys consider me attractive, others think I'm ugly; I honestly don't give a rat's ass. He inspects me further, sizing up my long blonde hair, womanly curves, strong jawline, and of course my rather impressive bust.

"Alright, well get dressed, let's get some food."

A few minutes later we're sitting around eating one of the best meals I've ever had, well the best meal I've had, even better than on the train, which I didn't think could be topped. "So what's your plan?"

"Whut do you crare? Yur nut mi mentur" I mumble with a hunk of meat in my mouth.

"No, but I have a vested interest in you," he puts it simply.

"Fine," I swallow, "I'm going to team up with the careers."

"And you think you'll get in?"

"Sure, they're just a bunch of brutes."

"Well you have a shot," he says noncommittally. I act like I don't care what he thinks; I don't want him to believe that I need his approval. I don't want anyone to think I care what they think, or see that I'm really terrified right now. I've been terrified since I was reaped. It's not fair, I'll be turning 19 in a week, but Snow just had to reap me anyway. Fine, I'll play his stupid game, and I'll win. I won't show anyone the fear, it isn't difficult to cover up, I just have to look intimidating and do something memorable, laughing and threatening that punk Jasper at my reaping was a good start, although I do like the kid's rebellious streak.

The careers are a means to an end, and if I'm closer to them it makes them that much easier to take out.

**Chel Byrne**

**District 9 Female Tribute**

As we gather to board our chariots, I'm seeing the other tributes for the first time, other than my District partner Cal, who is a freaking sociopath. Seriously the guy is like, just nuts. He calls himself a Victor, he says he is "back for another Hunger Games." I remember when that whole thing happened with the factory; people lost it and started killing each other. I don't know what I would have done in that situation, but it certainly wouldn't have been that. I can't believe just the one girl avoided the fighting.

Some of the other tributes are just as bad as Cal. The rest of the volunteers, with the possible exception of the guy from 7, are all despicable. I mean what kind of person volunteers for this kind of sick event? Who wants to kill people, especially kids? It's seriously messed up. I know one thing; I won't be going after any weak or defenseless tributes. I won't be doing any tricky things that the career pack is so well known for, killing people with their back turned, betraying their allies, killing people in their sleep. I'm not an animal, that's all the careers are.

There do seem to be some good tributes out there, I can see the tributes from 3, the older kid seems pretty protective of the younger one. Various other tributes catch my eyes, the girls from 10, 8 and 7 seem nice, and so does the pair from 5. Other than the tributes themselves I can't help but feel that the outfits are pretty cool. I'm not big into fashion, but these costumes are something in person.

The tributes from 2 look like marble statues, wearing togas with their skin pained the color of the stone. The ones from 4 look like some kind of sea creatures, with gills and other fishy prosthetics all over them. 7 is boring, but 8 the ones from 8 are wearing the finest fabrics, a nice dress and fancy tuxedo. The ones from 10 are supposed to look like ranchers I guess, and the pair from 12 is done to look like dynamite. Me and Cal's outfits are maybe my favorite though, our outfits really look like they are made of steel, the fabric has this weird quality that makes it look solid.

The large doors to the stable open and the line of chariots is off. When we get outside I'm shocked by how loud the music is. We'll be in the city center in twenty munities, for now I have to stand next to Cal while we ride to the city. It's awkward.

**Rook Delacroix**

**District 1 Male Tribute**

The cheers of the crowd as we enter the city center is almost deafening, they are cheering for me and Safyra, and why wouldn't they? We look amazing. We are adorned in the most elegant costumes I've ever seen, they are embroidered with gems, beautiful things, and woven with the finest material. Safyra's dress is gold and my suit is silver.

More impressive than the outfits are the people beneath them. Both Safyra and I are incredible looking, the perfect tributes, it's really a shame she will have to die in order for me to win, she is really strikingly beautiful, but at least there will be someone as good looking as I am in there to look at.

The stylist have done a great job to highlight our natural beauty, the gems in the suit highlight the amazing dark blue color of my eyes, and my dark brown hair has been styled perfectly. Safyra's blue eyes are done with makeup that makes them stand out even more, her long blonde hair done in an amazing way.

The people in the crowd are so taken by our beauty, the women scream out my name, while the men scream out hers. I can't wait to come back here as a Victor and have them scream out my name again, in a slightly different circumstance. For now though I'm happy to have the praise, and it's well deserved. We are by far the most popular tributes, and getting sponsors will be no problem.  
Our tour of the city circle ends in front of the president's mansion, we are soon joined by the other eleven chariots, and I take the chance to check out my soon to be allies from District 2 and 4. They of course aren't as memorable as we are, but the pair from 2 seems tough enough. The girl from 4 seems pretty tough too, but the guy looks like a little wimp. I've heard he is the son of the famous Ajax Aleric, and I'm almost embarrassed for him, this kid is so puny. The rest of the tributes probably aren't strong enough to join up with us, so I don't even bother looking their way.

President Snow emerges from his mansion and gives a speech about how he looks forward to seeing our will and determination in the games. I'll definitely show him some will and determination, none of these puny tributes will stand a chance against me. Once I get into the games, I'll show everyone how great I am, they'll see how great I am.

The president's speech ends and the anthem begins, the camera cuts to me and the other tributes, and we're off again. We get back to the training center where we're met by our prep teams. "Well, I certainly enjoyed our little ride," I say lightly touching Safyra's arm.

"Yeah…" she says backing away, "Well I'm heading to sleep….I'll see you at training." If she wants to play hard to get that's fine, I'll be swimming in women once I wrap these games up anyway.

**Kayde Roberts**

**District 2 Male Tribute**

Floor 2. My place of residence for the next week. Tomorrow we will begin training, my first day of official training, although I've been training unofficially in 2 for a long time. I remember my mentor Chace from training, he was a couple years ahead of me, but we all rember him well. I knew him a little from outside the games too, he and my sister were good friends, still are actually.

My partner Mina's mentor, Gloriana, was before my time, but I knew her sister, Storm. She was in Chace's games, she did pretty well to, she probably would have won if it hadn't been for Chace. Their battle was a classic. After those games Chace was different, he hates the games, but not how my sister or my dad hates them, he actually knows them. I think they bring back bad memories or something. He never tried to talk me out of it, like my family did so many times, he just seems disappointed.

My father is as anti-Capitol as they come, he refused to be a peacekeeper based on principal, and my sister inherited his views. I was always more like my mother; she left to be a peacekeeper around the time I was born. Rumor has it she is stationed in the Capitol, but I'm not one to believe rumors, she could be anywhere in Panem. Except District 2 that is.

I press a button and some food appears in front of me. I'm not sure what it is, but I like it. I never had good food or nice things back home, we never had a lot of money. My dad worked in the quarries; he said it was an honest job. He said we made enough to not need tesserae, and that was enough.

But it isn't enough. I was the poorest kid in school, I got teased growing up. I had to earn respect, and I did it through training, I proved that I was the best. I had to learn to shut out any weakness; I had to completely devote myself to training, get in the mindset of a killer. Training to fight is one thing, but it's different when you have to take a life. A lot of people think they are ready to kill, but when it comes down to it they hesitate, and in the games hesitation means death.

That doesn't mean I will enjoy killing though, that can be just as bad. The crazed bloodlust that some tributes get always leads to their downfall. I remember a few years back a tribute called Fathom was so obsessed with trying to kill another tribute that he didn't even notice that arena floor cracking wide open beneath him till it was too late; another Titus started eating his kills, and was killed in an avalanche, which I'm sure was no freak accident.

When I kill someone I have to be totally emotionless, I can't allow my feelings to get in the way. I have to be completely serious when I am in the games, and my serious side is all anyone aside from my father has seen for years.

* * *

**Updated on time! Thanks again for all the awesome reviews I got last time, I was really interested to see the reactions to some of the tributes which varied pretty significantly for some. Also you guys are doing a good job of finding the references I've put in so far, even some I thought nobody would notice, like Marsh, a friend of a tribute from my last story showing up in Cal's backstory, kudos to HarryPotterFan392 for catching that one. Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter, next is the training center, and I'll be able to give everyone who hasn't had one yet a POV!**


	6. Bottom Floor

**Aiden Kay**

**District 10 Male**

For a few seconds after I wake up, I forget that I'm in the Capitol, but as soon as I open my eyes, I'm reminded exactly where I am. My mouth is completely dry. I head over to the sink and put my head under the faucet and drink the water. I guess the Capitol people don't usually drink from the same place that they wash their hands, but the faucet water is cleaner than any I've had in District 10. "Ahhh, refreshing," I say whipping my mouth. I wonder what kind of activities we will be learning in the traning center…I think knitting is off the table.

My right eye is still only half opening, so I splash some water in my face to wake me up. I glance in the mirror, and I realize I look kinda crazy. "Well, hey there handsome," I say to my reflection. "What? You're the male tribute for District 10? Well," I switch to my perfect imitation of a Captiol accent, "That must be an honor old sport, do make sure to try and not die in the bloodbath." I smile at the mirror.

I've gotten good at that over the years, masking the pain and the fear, even from myself. Humor's a good tool for that. I've always been a pretty funny guy. Laughter can bring you out of a bad mood; even make a situation like the Hunger Games just a bit more bearable. If I'm laughing, and making other people laugh then at least we aren't crying.

I know that I don't have much of a chance; I can count the number of victors from 10 on one hand. We aren't a particularly flashy district; we just have livestock, cows and stuff.. None of the lower Districts, 10, 11, or 12 usually make it very far.

I'm getting too depressing for my own good, I need to cheer up or I'll end up offing myself. I may as well stay positive, that way the careers can kill me instead. I head to the shower and see all sorts of gizmos and buttons, I fidget with a couple, making them do all kinds of strange things, until I finally find a combination that I like and step into the shower. I must admit I like shampoo, I never had any before, but in since I started using it on the train I noticed that my dark brown hair has a nice sheen to it.

I finish up in the shower and dry off, I find somebody, probly an Avox has laid out some clothes for me. That was nice of them. I get dressed and just sit at the corner of my bed for a minute. I wonder what my friends back home would think of this. My friend Tyme would be very serious about the whole training thing, he always balanced me out. I was the joker and he was the serious guy, my jokes had to be good to crack him up. My district partner, Darcy, is pretty serious too, so I guess that balances me out, but I haven't been able to make her laugh yet, and it isn't from lack of trying. She is always off in some other world.

Darcy may be my last friend; I doubt I'll ever get to see Tyme or anyone else from back home ever again. Guess I'll have to work on my material if I want to make Darcy laugh.

**Ekronik Rodell**

**District 3 Male Tribute**

When I arrive at the dining area Wiress, Nessie, and Beetee are already seated. I grab some breakfast and join them at their table. "Good morning Ekronik," Uncle Beetee greets me.

"Morning," I respond. "So, Unle Beetee, have you seen Newt lately?" I ask about his old mentor.

"He's….well he is depressed," Beetee answers. This is nothing new. Newt is a kind, if not somewhat strange, old man who has been a family friend since he mentored Beetee all those years ago. Newt, unlike my uncle, is not directly involved in the rebellion. Somewhat to the dismay of my parents Beetee has told me much of the rebellion. I know that the Capitol isn't particularly fond of Beetee or Wiress, which may be why I'm here. I've heard of the more troublesome Victors losing their loved ones. Sometimes they are reaped, sometimes they have….accidents.

I've head of what happened to the girl Haymitch was dating when he won the games. I heard what happened to Johanna Mason's family when she refused to prostitute herself for the Capitol. So my presence here comes as no surprise. To be honest I'm just glad it wasn't Wiress' nice that the Capitol chose to reap. I call her M.D. short for Marius Doe, and we are very close, certainly more than friends. We met through the rebellion, she shares my hatred for our oppressors and we became close instantly.

What kind of people would send a twelve year old to her death? I know that by allying with Nessie I don't have much of a chance of survival, but I never did anyway. I was reaped to die, so there isn't a chance that the gamemakes will let me live anyway. Two of them are undercover agents for the rebellion, but they couldn't risk keeping me alive, it might blow their cover, and they could not have that. I've never actually met anyone in the rebellion, of course except for Beetee and Wiress, but I've heard enough about them to recognize a face or two. Many are mentors; Chace, Chaff, and Johanna, along with a many others. They've heard of me too, I know that Beetee has bragged about his brilliant nephew, who knows, maybe that was my undoing?

Regardless of why or how, I am here now and I must make the best of this bleak situation. In allying with Nessie I am also showing that I will not become the vicious horrible killer that the Capitol wants me to become. I do not know what horrors await me in the arena; the gamemakers on the inside haven't told anyone in the rebellion anything too specific for fear that they may be found out. What I do know is that it will pry on our fears, our weaknesses, the things that trouble our souls.

**Baron Aleric**

**District 4 Male Tribute**

It doesn't take long for all of the tributes to arrive at the training floor. Some look utterly lost, the tributes from the lower districts especially. The head trainer, Atala gathers us and explains how training works, of course I already know, they told me how things would go a long time ago back home.

We break off from the group and everyone heads to different stations. I head over to the knife station; I've always been good with throwing knives, in fact with any kind of long range weapon. I hate to admit it but I'm not great in close combat, or with heavy weapons. I'm not a typical tribute from 4, I'm not good with a trident, or a net, or even a spear. I'm not even a strong swimmer, as my father constantly lets me know. I'll need to show everyone how skilled I am with long ranged weapons to survive.

If the careers see that I'm deadly with a throwing knife they will defiantly let me in. I glance around to see what they are up to, they will want to be showing off too. I need to know what their skills are, they will be my allies soon, and not long after that they will be my biggest competition. I'm already familiar with Maya and dual short swords, and the girl from 2 is also at the sword station wielding a slim long sword. The blonde girl from 1 is over throwing spears around and her district partner is off flirting with the girl from District 8.

The rest of the tributes are at various stations around the center, it's obvious they have no idea what they are doing. I see the girl from 6 holding an ax upsidedown. Some of them have some good qualities, but they won't be able make up the years of training in a few days. I know that's what important, the knowledge of how to fight is more important than any natural strength. They're may be some strong tributes from the lower districts, but they don't deserve to join any alliance I join. I see a few that look strong, the girl from 11 looks like she is trying to be intimidating but I don't buy it. Some of the boys look like they have been in a fight or two, but the Hunger Games aren't any little street fight. The guy from 9 seems like he knows what he is doing too, I think he volunteered, and not just because he wanted to kill himself like the guy from 7.

The rest are hardly even worth thinking about, most of them are sure to be bloodbaths. The only ones I have to worry about are the careers, but they are a pack of idiots. It will be no problem outsmarting them. When I win these games I'll prove to my father how strong I am, how worthy I am of being his son and earning his love.

**Lucian Night**

**District 12 Male Tribute**

This place must have one hell of a generator; there might be more electricity in this building than all of District 12. I find a wire and follow it a few feet until it disappears in the wall. I pick it up closely examining it, its wrapped well in rubber, no exposed parts, no chunks "repaired" by tape, very safe, not like home.

I feel a hand on my left shoulder and I'm greeted by a peacekeeper when I look up. "I said don't do that! Didn't you hear me?" I tell the guy what he can do to himself and head to a random training station with a scowl on my face. The fact of the matter is that I didn't hear the guy; I haven't been able to hear out of my left ear for a long time. My eardrum blew out during a heist a few years ago.

I honestly don't care whether or not this peacekeeper particularly likes me or not, I've gotten a few angry looks from other tributes too, the worst come from my district partner. I know what she and everyone else thinks of me. They think I'm some sort of monster, and who knows, maybe they're right. I don't care what they or anyone else thinks. I know why I steal; I have someone else to look out for other than myself, which is more than a lot of these selfish brats can say. My sister's medicine doesn't come cheap, and if I need to steal it then being a social outcast is a small price to pay. It also lets me know who my real friends are. All the two faced bastards who pretended to be my friends back when I was a "nice guy" are gone.

There is only one person outside my family I can trust, my only friend Ash Holloway. He's a thief like me; he knows what's really important. We help each other sometimes; we watch each other's backs. He wouldn't abandon me, or my family. I know he will help out my sister if I died, but there is only so much he can do; he has to look after his own too. Other than him all my sister would have is my dad. He fell for my stupid mom, no more than a pretty face, and she left us without a thought when a richer man came along. Good riddance.

That's why I have to win these games. If I win I'll have all the money I ever need as Victor, she can get whatever treatments she needs. But if I die….

I'll do whatever it takes to get back to her. The first step is to take out my stupid district partner, Marly. She doesn't trust me, she needs to go. Besides I don't like her. I'd prefer to fry her with some electricity, but I suppose a sword will work just as well in the arena.

**Terya Wylie**

**District 7 Female Tribute**

"Don't plant your feet, remember the stance I taught you," the trainer tells me. I adjust my stance and raise my sword. "No," he scolds me "Your footwork is all wrong!" I glare back at him, this trainer is so frustrating, no one dares to talk to the careers like that. I turn my foot and charge the guy, he deflects a few blows, but I get to him quickly. "Good, you're doing much better," he says.

"I'm going to the fire starting station, I'll be back tomorrow." I head off; If I want to win in these games I'll need survival skills as well as knowing how to fight.

"I get angry too sometime," I hear a voice from behind me. It's my District partner, Arto.

"Hey," I always have felt bad for the kid, his mom died a few years back, he always seemed a bit depressed, but I had no idea it was so bad he'd volunteer for the Hunger Games. "How's it goin'?" It's a stupid question to ask given the circumstance, but I don't know what else to say.

He shrugs. "I dunno, I guess it's okay, I don't think Blight knows what he's doing though…" It does seem that I got the better mentor, Johanna is smart and ruthless, and she is young. Blight isn't any of those things. "Don't worry," he says, "I won't kill you, it's not right to kill a girl."

"Excuse me?" I can feel the rage building in me. I won't let this kid insult me because of my gender. "Are you saying I'm weak and unworthy of being targeted because I'm female?"

"No….I just mean….It just doesn't seem right. I mean killing is messed up, but killing a girl is really messed up, it's like dishonorable."

"So, then you don't think girls are inferior or something stupid like that?"

"No, psh I don't understand girls at all…" He glances up at me, "You guys are confusing."

I chuckle. "Yeah, I guess we can be at times. Don't worry I won't kill you either, we are from the same district after all."

"Thanks," he says obviously relived, "I think I'll be most concerned with taking out the career pack. Those guys just a bunch of bullies." Arto and I have both had our fair share of bullies, I remember how they used to walk all over me when I was young, I have had to build up a bit of a defensive shell around myself. I won't be pushed around, although sometimes I worry I may take it too far, after all, I did just lash out at a suicidal kid because he said he wasn't going to kill me.

**Mina Sablier**

**District 2 Female Tribute**

The first day of training is over. It's too soon for any alliances to really start to from, that will happen in the next couple of days. Even so, I know who I'll be teaming up with, the tributes from 1 and 4 along with Kayde. We'll be a strong career pack. The difference between me and the others is that don't expect to win. I know that someone has to win and they will be right, but if everyone thinks they will be dead then twenty-three of us are going to be wrong.

I'll join up with the careers, go along with their insane bloodthirsty attacks, why not? Then I'll have to betray them, otherwise I'm sure I'll end up the one who's throat is slit in the night. After that, who knows? I honestly don't care about bringing honor to the district or getting kills or anything like that. I'll still rack up the kills, but it's honestly pretty meaningless.

I guess I was just tired of being a burden on my parents. After all this is what they expected of me, I'm tired of arguing with them about it. I'm even more tired of them fighting about it with each other actually. They say the divorce wasn't my fault, but it was. I don't think they will get back together when this is over, but maybe their constant fighting and spreading lies about each other can finally end.

I suppose it's a bit ironic that I entered the games because I was tired of fighting, but I can deal with slashing someone with a sword much easier than getting in a debate. I'll do well in these games, I have the skills, who knows maybe I will win. In the end though it doesn't really matter, win or lose, I will make my mark on these games.

* * *

**Hey guys sorry this took so long, and more bad news I'll be out of town for a few days next week so the next one may be late as well, but I'll try to update as timely as possible. Anyway hopefully it was worth the wait, at least I hope it was...  
Anyway if anyone knows a good SYOT to submit to lemme know, I'm always on the lookout for one, K later days!**


	7. Collateral Damage

**River Blake**

**The Capitol**

_Maya_

_I've missed you so much these past few years. I don't know where to start. I'm sad that you've decided to volunteer because you think that our family name must be restored. I know that this is partly my fault, and I know there is no going back for either of us. I hope that you survive the games, and I hope you don't forget who you really are in there. I know you better than anyone, you aren't cruel or vengeful, you are kind and loyal. No matter what happens though I will always love you, you are always going to be my sister._

_ River_

I sit for a second staring at the note. I hope that Maya understands everything I've tried to put into it. I want to find her, she is so close, here in the Capitol, but I know if I got near her we would both be in trouble.

Sending her a note is safer, and I know the person to do it. A man that shares my name, his last is the same as my first, Aly River. He's a peacekeeper working undercover for the rebellion, and passing a note of to my sister should be no problem for him.

"Is it finished?" Aly asks me. I've been revising for the past twenty minutes. I nod. Aly is one of the few people I trust. He found me when I was lost, when everything I had was gone. He knew who I was and decided to reveal who he was to me. We've been each other's confidants for the past few years.

He has told me about how much he misses his family too. He has a lot of brothers that he is missing grow up back in District 5. He understands how worried about Maya, he felt the same way when his brother was reaped three years ago. His brother never had to go to the games though; a volunteer took his brother's spot to try to save the girl he loved.

There are families across Panem that are feeling the same thing that I am, I've seen the grieving families back in 4, I saw the anger they felt for the Capitol. I felt it when they killed Ash and all those others. I was left as an example, to live in exile as a slave with no voice in the very place I hated most of all.

Aly tells me about the rebellion, I know one day soon Panem will be free. I hope on that day Maya is standing beside me once again. As Aly is about to leave I tap him on the shoulder. "What is it?" he asks. I point at the letter and he sighs. "Yeah, okay make some more revisions." I only have one thing to add. I write along the bottom,

_Good Luck. _

**Jayelyn Twilla**

**District 4**

The graveyard is empty when I get there. I have two flowers, one for each of my dead siblings. My sister Aaralyn died in the games, she volunteered, she was headstrong and stubborn, she refused to ally with the careers, and almost won. She died in the feast, I didn't want her to go, I was worried, but she made me proud. I feel like she grew up in there, she wasn't cold or heartless, she respected those who she viewed as loyal, or brave. Her death affected all of us, but my brother Leff took it worst of all.

A year after she died a couple of people tried to stage a revolt, they gathered up a bunch of family members of all the dead tributes. I remember when they came to our house, Leff decided to go with them, I remember we all begged him not to go, just like we begged Aaralyn not to go into the games, but he went with him. The peacekeepers gunned almost everyone down; a couple of people were taken away as Avoxes.

I've been mad at both of them so many times for running away; going to what they knew would likely been their death. It was bad enough that Aaralyn died, but then Leff got himself killed too. The girl tribute this year, Maya is the twin sister of one of the leaders of the revolt Leff was in. I can't help but remember that girl when I see Maya, and I think of Leff and how he gave his life for nothing. Of course Maya is nothing like Leff, she reminds me much more of Aaralyn.

I of course hope the Capitol falls and the games end, I don't want any other family to feel what I've felt. Maya's family is most likely to lose another daughter, one an Avox in the Capitol. As much as I want it to put a stop to all this I won't risk my life and leave my family.

I don't know how to solve the problem of the capitol without violence, but Panem tried that once and failed spectacularly. The only thing the rebellion accomplished was a District being whipped out and the start of the Hunger Games.

I hope one day we no longer have to deal with the cruelty of the Capitol and the games, but I don't want anyone else I love to give their life to get there. I lay the flowers on each of their graves. I've buried enough siblings.

**Chace Castellan**

**The Capitol**

Everyone has gone to bed. I'm the only one on the second floor awake. I stare out into the Capitol out the window; it isn't the best view, considering we're on the second floor. The last time I looked out this window I was a tribute, now I'm back as mentor. Once again, my partner is a member of the Shields family, and we are at odds. Only one of us can bring home our tribute; Mina, along with 22 others will have to die for Kayde to come home.

I never really thought about that when I made that promise to Leellya. To bring her brother home I'll have to help him kill other children, children who unlike Kayde and myself did not volunteer. A twelve year old girl will have to die, so will a member of Beetee's family and a single mother. Worst of all is Violet Prior. She is the friend of Azeika and Dale. I knew them both, witnessed both of their deaths. I was allies with Azeika until her death, which was my fault. Now their friend has to die too? How can I live with myself if I let Kayde kill her?

It's tough not to relive the horrors of the games here in this place. I think of the things I did, whether they were right or wrong. I saved Azeika and Proxy's life but only when I betrayed my own ally, I literally stabbed her in the back. Was it right saving the two of them, were their lives worth more than hers? Was mine? Is killing someone justified in order to preserve your own life? None of those in that particular fight volunteered, except for me.

Was it for the greater good that I'm the one who came out of those games? I'm helping the rebellion, if one of the other tributes had survived than that might not have been the case. Even if they had decided to help, they wouldn't be in a position to help much, that's why Proxy killed herself. So that I could live. I really wish she hadn't. I wish I had been dead.

I can't change the past now, I can't waste her sacrifice. That's one of the few things that actually keeps me going. This rebellion was her whole wish. She had a dream of a free Panem, and I will see that dream realized, even if it means I have to do terrible things.

What's right and what's wrong doesn't matter. If I fail then Proxy's death and the death of every other person who has died in the games will have been for nothing. My life is not a gift or a blessing, it's a duty.

**Alex Payne**

**District 5**

Lysander is holding up well considering everything. He knows how slim the chances are slim that he'll ever get to see Violet again. He acts strong though, just like I did when Azeika went in. The difference is that there is nothing Lysander could have done, I could have volunteered, gone in and protected Azeika. Instead Dale went in, and they both died. If I had volunteered things could have been different, I was stronger than Dale, Azeika might have made it with me in there, and then she and Dale could have lived happily ever after.

Now, here we are, Dale and Azeika are both dead, and soon Violet will be too. I'm thankful that Lysander is strong, the only thing that kept me going after the death of my best friend and the girl I loved was my guilt and my sense that I needed to do something to make up for it. Now it looks like my rebellious attitude may have been the thing that caused Violet to be reaped.

For the time being I will lay low, I don't want the gamemakers taking anything I do out on Violet. I remember Dale and Azikia's old ally saying that one day soon a revolution would come, and that Paneam would rise up. I believe that she is right. I've seen things happen in the district, I know people have already begun to infiltrate the Peacekeepers. There are many in the District who will rise up and fight when the time comes. I know I will. I trust that my friends Lysander and Zane will be there with me.

The boy, Blaine River whose place in the games was taken by Dale has grown interested in the rebellion as well. He has grown up a lot in the past few years; he is almost as old as I was when I saw Dale and Azeika go into the games. He talks to me a lot about revolution, he tells me about his brother, who is working undercover.

I can't even understand how anyone can be so cruel to reap someone whose life has already been destroyed by the games. Violet and Lysander had finally began to move on and the Capitol came back in and ruined their lives all over again.

I know one thing for sure, the rebellion will come soon. I will not be a coward like I was three years ago, I will protect the ones I love. I will make sure that this never happens to anyone else.

**Virgil Williams**

**The Capitol**

The games are almost here. I don't want to be a part of this anymore. I want to do something really good, not sit here and wait for something to happen while I execute children for the Capitol. I keep telling Coin that we can't wait any longer, that we have to stop the games, start a revolution today. I drew up a plan to go in and rescue a lot of the tributes, take them to 13 and start the uprising against Snow's regime, but Coin wants to make sure her rise to power is assured.

I come up with an alternate plan to sneak the tributes out, making them look like they are dead, and Coin hates this plan. She says that there is no point. The lives of a few tributes aren't worth the risk of sneaking them out to District 13. No, no, their lives, as well pretty much everyone else's are worthless to Coin as long as she gets in power. She has been manipulating her way into power for years.

The best I can hope to do is bring home one of the better tributes and not one of the bloodthirsty careers, although I don't want to shed too much suspicion on myself. Now I'm starting to sound like Coin. Who am I to judge one child's worthiness over another's to live? I don't even know what's right and what's wrong anymore. More and more it feels like there are only wrong choices, no right answer.

The Capitol terrorizes, kills, and starves their citizens, while in 13 they survive, but freedom is an illusion there too. They control your daily schedule down to the smallest thing. Both sides want to wipe out the other; the only thing stopping them is fear of retaliation. I can't fight the Capitol on my own, so I have to join the rebellion, who have me doing terrible things in the name of peace, and I keep telling myself that the ends justify the means. What other choice do I have? Should I sit back and do nothing? The 23 children would still die every year. If I removed myself entirely would my conscience be any more clear?

Edmund is always talking about the games being about deception, and that includes self-deception. I have to trick myself into doing these horrible things, I tell myself it isn't so bad, but it is. I take out a card, the eight of clubs, from my pocket. It's from one of Edmund's magic tricks. He is always drawing parallels between the games and his tricks, and he couldn't be more right, especially this year. The deception, the distraction, the lies.

The Capitol wants to show the Districts that they not only can kill them, but break them physiologically. Things in the arena will prey on the tributes greatest fears. I don't envy those going in.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter was short and late, I've been trying to work on how short they've been, but I think I'll have more luck with the more central characters. Anyway good news is that I wont be going on any more trips anytime soon, and the busy season at my work is over, so the updates should be on time. Well I've got a new character poll on my profile, so go ahead and vote for your favorites!**


	8. Allies and Enemies

**Cal Barnes**

**District 9 Male**

In front of me are Ivan Hill, Lucian Night, and Arto Green. The three are the beginnings of a powerful new alliance. Overlooked by the careers, they are diamonds in the rough, but capable, worthwhile, and strong. They possess skills that the normal careers do not, and I will utilize them. We will form our own alliance, to rival the careers, an anti-career pack.

I first got the idea when looking over tapes of old games. In one of those old games the tributes from 4 formed the original "anti-career" pack. They assembled all kinds of undervalued tributes to combat the careers; a lot were from the lower always overlooked districts.

None of these tributes is particularly likable, Lucian doesn't seem mentally stable, Arto is always complain and Ivan is just passive aggressive. These things are all easily overlooked when I realize that they have invaluable talents that will help me win the games.

Arto is talented with throwing knives; he probably has better hand eye coordination than any of the careers. Lucian has a killer instinct that is almost indescribable, and seems to know how to electrify a person if we find a power source. Ivan is probably the toughest tribute out there, he knows how to fight.

"So am I to understand that you've gathered us here to be in an alliance?" Lucian asks.

"Wait, you want me for an alliance?" Arto adds.

"Yes," I answer.

"Why us?" Arto prods.

"You all have hidden talent, we can form our own career pack, we can be anti-careers."

"Anti-careers?" Ivan asks skeptically.

Arto frowns, "The careers are jerks; they are just mindless killing machines. I don't want to be like them."

"We'll we are the anti-careers, we are the opposition to the careers, we can take them down." I look around, Ivan and Lucian seem to be on board, but Arto still seems unsure. "So is everyone in?"

Lucian and Ivan nod, but Arto isn't committal. He glances over at the careers for a minute deep in thought. "Okay, I guess if I want to live I should team up with you guys."

"Good," I smile at my new allies, we will certainly are going to make an impression on these games.

"So is this it?" Ivan asks.

"What do you mean?"

"There are only four of us, that's a lot smaller than most career alliances."

"Well…" I begin, "I was considering Leighann-"

"The girl with the tattoos?" Arto interrupts.

"Yes, her. Well I was considering her but she has been following the career pack around, and there really isn't anyone else worth joining the alliance."

"Yeah…" Arto awkwardly starts again, "but we don't have any girls."

"What?" Lucian says half angry half laughing.

"It would be nice to have some girls around you know; there are just too many guys here."

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" Ivan asks not so amused.

"Well," Arto is blushing "That's not why I want a girl around, it just weird if it's all guys, don't you think. And I don't think she thinks of me as a boyfriend, although that would be nice…."

"Ok enough lover boy, let's get serious," I dismiss his stupid comments, "We need to train to beat the careers."

**Charlie Watsen**

**District 5 Male**

"Ah, yes, the ever important know tying station, because when you are locked in a battle to the death with an insane tribute from 2, the one thing you need to know is knot tying. Oh no," I say dramatically, "I'll pass on learning how to use an ax, no time for that, I need to learn me some knot tyin'."

Violet stares at me for a second and asks "Anything else to add?"

"I'm sure I'll think of something when we go by the plant station."

Thankfully for me Violet is able to put up with my sarcasm, she says it reminds her of some old friends of hers. Somehow I think my jokes have actually helped her out a bit, brought her out of her shell. She is still very depressed, we all are, but every little bit helps.

We decided to be mentored together, like her mentor Edmund encouraged her to do. He always likes to keep the tributes from 5 together, he mentored her friend Azikia before and he helped Dale out too, just like he's helping me.

We stroll around, checking out the stations and the other tributes. Most are going solo; the only exceptions I can see are the pair from 3, the careers and the four psychopaths calling themselves "anti-careers."

We're walking to the sword and as I'm distracted by something and I smash into something soft. "Ow," I say picking myself up off the floor. I see what I crashed into was actually a who; the girl from District 6.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, I'm sorry," she says getting up.

"Don't worry about it, I run into people all the time," I smile at her. "Hey, you're the Mom right, how old are you anyway?"

She looks at me a bit shocked, and starts to turn away when Violet grabs her shoulder. "That's just how he is," she assures the girl, "He doesn't mean anything by it."

"No offense meant," I smile.

"It's alright, I get it all the time, I'm used to it." She glances back and forth between the two of us. "I'm Brooklyn."

"I'm Violet, and this is Charlie." We both shake hands with her and stand there for a moment awkwardly. "So single Mom, that must be tough…"

"Yeah…it's difficult sometimes…"

"You're child…what is going to happen?" Violet almost whispers.

"My sister is watching her, if I don't make it then…she'll take care of her, but I need to get back to her she needs to be with her mother."

There is a pause for a moment then Violet says something that catches me off guard. "Well, we will do everything we can to help you get back to her?"

"Uh, we will?" I ask skeptically.

"Yes," Violet nods, "We are all going to be allies, if that's alright with you Brooklyn?"

"Uhh, yeah, that would be great."

"Charlie?" Violet raises an eyebrow and turns to me.

"Well that alliance developed awful quick. Eh, I'm in, the careers better watch out now that us three power players have teamed up."

**Safyra Hope**

**District 1 Female**

"Let's vote on it," Maya says exhausted. For the past few hours the tributes from 1, 2 and 4 have been debating whether or not to let Leighann, who has been tagging along with us all day, into the alliance.

"What do all those tattoos even mean?" Baron asks skeptically.

"They represent me, and eternal life. They show that I have no fear, that I won't die in there, and when I win I'll get '71st Hunger Games Champion' tattooed on me too."

"How do you even get tattoos out there in 11 anyway?" Kayde questions.

"The old fashioned way…" she stared at Kayde, "It was very painful."

"Do you think that makes you tough?" Baron says dismissively.

"And do you think having a famous daddy makes you tough? You're pathetic," Leighann retorts.

"So we vote…" Maya whispers.

"We can always use another girl around," my District partner begins, "I vote yes."

"I don't want her," I say. I don't like this girl, she is arrogant rude and cruel. Not that many of the rest of my alliance is better, but the last thing we need is one more jerk around.

"I vote no too," Baron says with a bit of venom. Leighann is visibly getting nervous, even though she is trying to hide it.

"Let her, who cares, she is tough enough to handle herself, we need more people to deal with the wannabe careers anyway," Maya glances over at Cal's group. She has a point they do seem tough, if not a bit randomly thrown together.

"What do you think Mina," Maya asks the girl from District 2.

"I don't care, just leave me out of it, you guys wanna start a fight now be my guest, but I'm not choosing sides," she says with a wave of her hand.

"That's two yeses and two noes," I say looking toward Kayde, the deciding vote.

"We can count," Leighann says snarkily. I really don't want Kayde to vote her in.

"We can always kill her later, for now welcome to the alliance," he extends his hand to Leighann, who hesitates for a moment then shakes it. Great another arrogant psycho. Maybe allying with them just because that's what 1 always does is a bad decision. I roll my eyes and grunt in anger.

"Hey, calm down," Rooks smiles at me, "You're still the prettiest girl in the group."

"Shut up Rook," I say rubbing my temple.

"Well excuuuuuuse me princess!"

"What did you call me?"

"I just-" before Rook can finish his sentence I grab him by the shirt and I'm about to punch him in the face when one of the guards shouts:

"NO TOUCHING!"

"Right, well, I'm done," I put it simply.

"What?" Kayde asks baffled.

"I'm done with this alliance; I think I'll join the anti-careers. Seeya." With that I head off, over to the four boys. They are just as tough as the real careers, but and with the help of a trained career, they will be the strongest alliance in the games.

"Hey," I greet them. The kid from 7 jumps when I speak.

"Where did you come from?" He asks.

"So, I'm here to join you guys, what do you say?" They all look at each other, a bit surprised, but mumble in agreement that I'm welcome.

"Cool," 7 says, "We've finally got a girl."

**Kayde Roberts**

**District 2 Male Tribute**

"Damn, that's too bad," Rook stares longingly at Safyra, "Now Mina is the best looking girl in the group."

"Shut up," Mina rolls her eyes.

"What? It's a complement, besides, you're all attractive, even Leighann." I'm starting to think that Safyra might have had the right idea. I can't trust any of these people. They may be my allies now, but they will be my biggest competition once the games start. I still think that we are stronger than Cal's alliance, especially with Leighann. Rook is the group's weakest link, and even he is a trained career.

Once we are in the final eight I'll leave my former allies; it won't be long after that before they start turning on one another, and I don't want to be anywhere near them for that. I'll only have to take out one or two careers after that. I know I will be able to take them, because I didn't come from prestige. I wasn't the son of a wealthy business man or a victor; I've built myself up from nothing.

I'll destroy them once the time comes, but I have a different set of enemies for now. With Safyra's defection we now have as many tributes as the anti-careers. We may have the edge strength-wise but they still could be problematic, they are certainly much stronger together than apart, and I know how dangerous Safyra is.

There is another group of three tributes; the ones from 5 have teamed up with the girl from 6. It's rather ironic; there was a very similar alliance in Chace's games. The pair from 5 teamed with another girl. Chace used to talk about it with my sister all the time. I feel like the fact that it's happening again might mean something. However, that doesn't mean that I'll be teaming up with them like Chace did anytime soon.

There aren't many others to worry about, the kid from 11 with the dark skin and dreadlocks, Jasper I think, looks like he can fight, but is utterly useless with all the weapons he's been trying out.

I am the strongest tribute here; there is no doubt about it. I can win as long as I have the determination. That is why I've trained, and I have the scars to prove it. The first thing people notice about me isn't green eyes or my short black hair. The first thing people notice is the result of an old training accident. A scar that runs down from my eye to my mouth, forever marking me as one trained to kill.

**Darcy Eowyn**

**District 10 Female Tribute**

I take a deep breath and release my arrow. It misses the entire target by a few feet. I sigh and grab another arrow. I need to learn how to use at least one weapon, and I was hoping it would be a long range one, but I haven't had much luck with this, maybe I'll try a slingshot or some kind of poison dart contraptions would be better.

"Uggh…are you done yet?" I hear a voice behind me. I swivel around to see the girl from 7, Terya.

"No, I'm not," I answer abruptly. I don't like this girl, she is very impatient and rude.

"Well there are other people who want to practice here, and I might actually hit the target, so why don't you go practice somewhere else?"

I can feel myself fuming up now. I don't often get angry, but I don't like being pushed around. "Why don't you go train somewhere else?"

"What's your problem?" she snarls, making a very ugly face.

"I don't like selfish people."

"WHAT?" she yells, "I'm selfish? You're the one who's been hogging this station all day!"

"Just leave me alone," I beg her.

"No, if you want to get away from me, you can just go somewhere else," she says glaring at me. Neither of us move for a second, we just stare unblinkingly into each other's eyes. Finally I snap.

"Alright," I throw the bow and arrow onto the floor. "You want them so bad, take them." I don't think I was going to get much better anyway, I need a different weapon.

"Fine, I will take them, it's not like you could hit anything anyway," she says with an evil smile.

"Just….shut up!" I yell with tears in my eyes.

"Whoo cat fight," I hear the boy from District 1, who I didn't know was watching us. I storm past all of them and head to the camouflage station. I just want to disappear. I don't want to deal with any of this. I'm a loner back home, and I'm one here too.

I'll use the camouflage to disappear in the games, far away from the careers and the annoying girl from 7. I wish I could become invisible for real. That would be a good trick for the games. I've always dreamt of having some magical powers, and invisibility would be cool. Maybe that way I could hide while everyone else fought it out. Flying would be cool too.

I'm not the kind of person who likes killing; I think the games are a terrifying concept. Still, I am here and I don't think I can win without getting some blood on my hands, and if that blood had to belong to Terya that wouldn't be the worst person.

* * *

**I promise I'm trying to update on time...Anyway hope you liked the chapter, oh and a few of my online friends are starting their own SYOTs, and I'd recommend sending a tribute to any/all of them. Chaos In Her Wake is about to start one with a few spots left, and DA Member Hogwarts is collaborating with You may call me Tac Nayn on a story, and I believe Third Degree Kisses will be starting one soon as well. Oh and one more cool thing, there may be some fan art for this and Blood Debt(not by me, I can't draw) on the way, I'll keep you posted! **


	9. Final Evaluations

**Reid Meyer**

**District 6 Male Tribute**

It's the third day of training and that means that we are about to be personally evaluated by the gamemakers. I've tried to figure out what skill I would use with my mentor, but we haven't come up with much. He thinks too much in terms of weapons, and physical strength. My weapon is my mind.

I may not be as big or as strong as these tributes, but I am the cleverest. I'm also loyal; I wouldn't betray my allies like the careers will. Unfortunately I don't have any allies so that isn't really an issue. I don't really talk to people very well, there seem to be some nice tributes out there, but I haven't had it in me to approach anyone.

This past week has been the worst of my life, and next week will certainly be worse, well if I make it a week that is. This week started out with getting ripped away from my family and everything I've ever known. I've been paraded around The Capitol like I was some kind of fighting animal, not even human. I'm just a tribute, they may cry when I die if they like me, but it doesn't mean that they actually cared about me as a person. They will just find a new favorite next year; I'm less meaningful to them than a stray dog.

I'm not really as angry about this as I think I should be, I'm not a very angry person, instead I'm afraid. All I feel towards the looming games is fear. I really do not want to die, the very thought of the games has always terrified me. I know that death in the games is basically a certainty, especially for a small kid from 6 who just misses his mom.

I cried all day on the train, my mentor tried to coax me out of it, but it wasn't any use. I just stayed in my compartment and cried. I could hear my district partner crying in the compartment next door too. I know that she got ripped away from somebody she loved too. The next day I could not cry anymore, I was done. It was strange when I got to the Capitol, I'd never seen anything like it. I was honestly impressed by how amazing it all was. The Capitol really does some amazing things, but also terrible things.

Training has been tough, I don't really try to use the weapons, I focus on the survival stuff, making fire, finding food, identifying poisonous plants. That is what I guess I will show the gamemakers, my knowledge of plants and boring survival skills. I don't think I'll get a very high score.

"District 1 Male Tribute, please head into the training center."

"Seeya later sweetheart," he says to his district partner, who looks disgusted. It's starting its so nerve wracking; I don't think I can handle it. On the bright side when I get a low score at least I won't be a very big target.

**Mina Saibler**

**District 2 Female Tribute**

The District 1 tributes have both already disappeared into the training room, soon enough I will be called in. I know that I can impress them with my swordfighting skill, I'm sure to get a high score from the gamemakers, all the careers will, with Rook being a possible exception. I've trained my whole life for this moment, I'm not about to mess it up now.

So far I have managed to do my part as a career; I know my parents are proud of me, which is more than I can say about some of the other careers. Rook is apparently the son of some important figure in 1, who doesn't approve of his actions and Baron's father is the mighty Ajax Aleric; I've seen him on television, he is a hard man, and somehow I think Baron is too weak to impress a man like that.

I'm called into the training center soon enough. The gamemakers are up on their perch; they all have clipboards and look down on me expectantly. The careers must be the most interesting for them to watch, we will whom them what they want to see, brilliant displays with weapons. They don't want to see a bunch of kids who've never held a weapon before tripping over themselves or eating berries.

They call me in and I step into the training center. The gamemakers are up on their perch, just like the past few days, but now they actually seem to be paying attention. "You may begin," I hear the head gamemaker. I nod and head over to the sword station, grabbing the double swords I've become so comfortable with.

These weapons and I have a history, I've used them all my life. A lot of people just think it's cool to use two swords, that it makes me twice as strong, but it's not that simple. I don't think of two separate weapons, I've seen my ally Maya use them that way, that isn't the right mindset. They are two parts of the same weapon, each movement of one affects the other, they must be used in unison.

I show the gamemakers this union; the power of my blades is astounding, even to me. I show them how my years of training have given me skills that someone training for one week could never hope to come close to. I mercilessly destroy a row of dummies, hitting them in spots where I know are instant or quick kills. I glance up, proud but nervous, I hope they approve, a good score will mean a lot, and I know my parents will see it.

"Thank you," the head gamemaker dismisses me with a wave of his hand.

**Isabelle Catcher**

**District 8 Female Tribute**

I see the girl from District 7 staring at me looking annoyed and I notice that I'm nervously tapping my foot rapidly. "Sorry," I say putting a hand on my knee. It's honestly making me a bit crazy to sit here still, I feel like I need to move to deal with the nerves.

"It's alright, I mean, I'm the one who should be apologizing, it's rude to glare, I'm just very high strung, I've been flying off the handle a lot recently," she apologizes. It's true I've seen her and the girl from 10 have developed a bit of a rivalry. "I'm Terya," she says extending a hand.

"Isabelle," I shake her hand.

"Well it's nice to-"

"District 7 Female, you're up," a peacekeeper calls her.

"Well, I'll see ya," she says leaving.

Not long later they call in Arto, and I know I'm next. I notice I'm tapping my leg nervously once again, but everyone else seems too nervous to notice anyway. Soon enough I'm up. I head in and just sort of stand around until one of the gamemakers tells me to begin.

I take a deep breath and head to the knives. I find one which looks best for cutting meat and grab it. The gameakers give me some curious looks. They are probably wondering if this seemingly nice girl from District 8 has some killer instinct in her. I have their attention, they are watching closely. I'm not sure if they are aware of the fact that I personally know many of the Victors, but if they do maybe the gamemakers think they taught me a thing or two. What I do next takes them by surprise.

I grab a hunk of beef from the survival station and slice off a healthy chunk. I grab a frying pan, some kindling, and flint and set up a fire. The gamemakers look legitimately disappointed. I know how to cook after being around my brother for so many years, and that's what I will do in the games. I may have to go to the bloodbath to get the things like a pan and flint, and obviously the knife. I won't kill anyone in these games; they can't force me to do that. It doesn't matter if that means I can't win, I wasn't going to anyway.

After a few munities of me frying up my food the gamemakers dismiss me.

**Arto Green**

**District 7 Male Tribute**

"Why are you in such a good mood?" Terya asks me.

"Huh?"

"The past couple days….you've been really happy, what happened to the mopey guy who wanted to kill himself?"

"I'm still mopey!" I say defensively. She gives me a skeptical look. She may have a point I have been in a better mood in the past couple days. "Well, there is this girl who I think likes me back home…and I've got some friends in the games…"

"Friends? Are you kidding me?"

"What?"

"The anti-careers are not your friends," she says in a bossy way.

"Shut up, sure they are."

"They are a bunch of psychopaths; they will literally murder you the first chance they get."

"Hey, well I'm sorry I'm looking on the bright side for once in my life, okay, but I have people who are going to fight on my side, against those turds the careers."

"Turds? What are you like seven years old?"

"You know I spent a lot of time like you, skeptical of everybody, mad at the world. I've seen some messed up stuff, man. My freaking mom died. My dad became an alcoholic. It sucked. But for one in my life I have friends, and a girl I can go home to, if I live."

"Yeah," she says, "But you aren't gonna live."

"Well, jerk," I stare her in the eye, "Having some allies at least gives me a shot. You just go around making people hate you."

"Hey!" she yells, "Darcy started that, she was being a jerk!"

"You just judge people too much."

"Enough," Johanna comes in and turns on the TV. "You can argue later, the scores are about to come on." Pretty soon Caesar is on TV giving out the scores.

First up is District 1, the guy gets a seven, pretty low for a career but it's a score I'd be happy with. My ally Safyra gets a nine.

The tributes from 2 both get tens, typical.

The ones from 3 don't do so well, the guy gets a four and the girl only gets a two.

4 are more careers, the guy gets an eight and the girl does really well getting an eleven.

The ones from 5, the sarcastic guy and the quiet girl, get their district number as scores.

6 shows up and I'm so nervous about my score coming up that I almost don't even see their scores, but at the last second I see that the guy gets a three and the girl gets a four.

Here it is, everyone in the room holds their breath for a second, I get….an eight! No way, they must have liked my knife throwing. Terya does alright, getting a six.

Ivan gets an eight, and his district partner gets a six.

Cal must have impressed the gamemakers cause he gets a ten. The girl from 9 gets a seven.

Next up is the dude from 10, he only gets a five, and then is Terya's rival Darcy and she gets a six. Terya doesn't seem too happy to have tied with her.

The guy from 11 manages to get a seven, and the girl who is always hanging around the careers scores eight.

Last are the tributes from 12, the girl just gets a four and my sparky pal Lucian gets a six.

Terya and I shoot looks at each other. We aren't going to kill each other, that still stands, but I can't guarantee my allies won't decide to take her out.

**Blaine River**

**District 5**

I'm pacing back and forth, I hate watching the interviews. It's even worse this year, I sort of know the girl going in. It's like three years ago, I was reaped and someone took my place, his name was Dale. He died, and now they have his friend, Violet, and she is going to die too.

I've tried to make my life worth something, so that Dale's sacrifice meant something. I keep in touch with the rebellion through my brother; he is working for them undercover as a peacekeeper. Officially he died during a revolt, but really he was nabbed by some undercovers for the rebellion.

It's dangerous to meet up, so we don't very often, but when we do I try to give him as much useful information about what's going on in the district. He tells me things, but doesn't divulge unnecessary information about the rebellion for fear that we might be monitored. He tells me about his life, the people he meets, he has a new girlfriend, an Avox from District 4.

I take a deep breath, the interviews are about to start. Caesar's hair is a fiery red; he gives his usual opening banter and we are underway.

The first up is Rook, the male from one. Caesar asks him what he likes the best about the Capitol and Rook goes on about all the beautiful girls. Speaking of beautiful girls, his partner Safyra looks amazing in her dress. I know she is a bloodthirsty career, but I can't help but find her insanely attractive.

Kayde is up next, he is serious with Caesar and they mostly talk about how he will rely on his strength and determination to win. The girl Mina is pretty relaxed and a bit mysterious, even joking round with Caesar. She almost seems like she doesn't care about the games at all.

The girl from 3 seems pretty naïve and scared and Caesar makes a point of noting the Ekronik is related to the former victor Beetee.

Maya is confident, just like the other careers, but she seems to have a bit of bitterness about her. Baron and Caesar talk about his father winning the games and how he will carry on his legacy, and he asks if his father is proud. Baron hesitates a bit and says "Yes".

Next is our district, Charlie is just really sarcastic, but Violet's time really gets to me. She and Caesar reminisce about Dale and Azeika, and I struggle to hold back tears.

Caesar is quick to sympathize with Brooklynne about her daughter; she says she will do anything to get back to her. The boy Reid is awkward, but Caesar is soft-spoken and kind to him.

Caesar talks to Terya and he says she is quite a "firecracker." He says it would be foolish to count her out. The guy Arto is very odd to say the least.

Isabelle tells Caesar about her cooking and Caesar jokes about how he last time he tried to cook something himself he almost burned his house down. Ivan is a lot more serious and they talk about how he knows how to fight.

Chel is very chatty with Caesar, and then Cal starts going on about how he is already a Victor.

Aiden and Caesar joke around a bunch and play off each other well, and his partner Darcy seems very shy.

Leighann goes up and she seems like she is trying to act tough and crazy, but I don't but it. The guy, Jasper just seems to try and mess with Caesar the entire time, he has this whole thing about inspecting his hair.

Last in 12 are Marly and Lucian. Lucian's stylists have given him a look a bit like he's been electrified or something. Marly seems like a normal girl caught up in all the madness, and I really feel for her, my sister teases me that I think she is cute. She kinda is.

The tributes all get in a line the anthem plays and Cesar bids the world farewell. Tomorrow morning will be the beginning of the games, and there is no telling how many will live through the bloodbath.

* * *

**So after a colossal delay the chapter is finally here! I'm not sure why but this one was very difficult to write, and it wasn't my favorite. Anyway the good news is that there is just one chapter and then we are at the actual games! Here is a breakdown of all the alliances and training scores, maybe that will make up for the wait I put you guys through a little. Oh and thanks to all who have left such amazing reviews!**

**Rook Delacroix-7**  
**Kayde Roberts-10**  
**Mina Sablier-10**  
**Baron Aleric-8**  
**Maya Blake-11**  
**Leighann Ash-8**

**Safyra Hope-9**  
**Arto Green-8**  
**Ivan Hill-8**  
**Cal Barnes-10**  
**Lucian Night-6**

**Ekronik Rodell-4**  
**"Nesie" Keiberger-2**

**Charlie Watsen-5**  
**Violet Prior-5**  
**Brooklynne Satire-4**

**Reid Meyer-3**

**Terya Wylie-6**

**Isabelle Catcher-6**

**Chel Byrne-7**

**Adian Kay-5**

**Darcy Eowyn-6**

**Jasper Jarrah-7**

**Marly Gray-4**


	10. Midnight

**Violet Prior**

**District 5 Female Tribute**

"Alright," Edmund says "Good job out there today guys," as we all head to the elevator. "You got some sponsor with those interviews, I guarantee it."

We step into the elevator and Charlie chimes in, "Oh yeah, plus we got fives for our training scores, the sponsors will be tripping over themselves to give us gifts."

"Five wasn't the worst score out there you know," Edmund says in a matter of fact tone.

"It was a lot closer to the worst than the best," Charlie retorts.

Edmund just rolls his eyes and gives up arguing with the master of sarcasm. We step out of the elevator and begin to head to our separate rooms to get some rest. We'll need it for the games tomorrow. "Hey," Edmund catches me as I'm about to head into my room. "You gotta check behind your ears before you go to sleep he says grabbing something from behind my ear. Well, not really it's just a magic trick, again.

"Here ya go," he places it in my hand. It's my token, I'd kind of forgotten about it in all the commotion of the past few days. "I think you might have dropped it," he says with a smile.

"Thanks." I head into my room clutching the token, I'm going to make sure to never let it out of my sight again. It's a small locket in the shape of a heart with a picture of Lysander . It's all I have left of him, or any of my friends now.

I crawl into bed and lay the locket next to me. I miss him so much, he saved me from my depression, the only thing keeping me from slipping back into it are the new friends I've made and the hope that I will see him again one day. Charlie and Brooklynne are in the same situation as I am, we all have loved ones to get back to, Charlie has a little sister and Brooklynne has her daughter.

We know that we all can't return home, in fact none of us probably will, but we will stick together. I don't know what will happen if we make it to the final three. Could I kill them to get back to Lysander? Could I kill anyone? I didn't choose to be here, I am being told to kill or be killed. Would I still be a good person if I was the victor? Edmund is a good person. Still there is some hidden sadness there. He killed people to win his games; he has to live with that every day.

How can I justify taking another's life. Is the career from 2's life worth less than mine because she volunteered? Is it alright to kill someone in self-defense? What if I killed someone in their sleep, is that more dishonorable than killing someone in a fight?

Once I'm in there will I be the same person? I've seen totally sane tributes lose their minds in the games. Could that happen to me? I don't want to lose myself in there.

No, I know who I am.

**Terya Wylie**

**District 7 Female Tribute**

The sound of the ball hitting the floor and then the wall over and over again echoes over the whole floor. Our mentors have already gone to bed, but I doubt they can sleep with this noise.

"Can you stop that!" I snap at Arto.

He catches the ball and whispers, "Sorry." He was mindlessly chucking it against the wall over and over for who knows how long. The guy doesn't even look at me when he says it though, it's like he's miles away.

"What's up with you?"

He finally glances at me, and the look he gives is weird. "Hey, you're a girl right?"

I pause for a moment, not sure if he is trying to tease me or what. "What are you talking about?"

"I….I just don't get girls you know," he sighs.

"Is this about that chick who made out with you at the Justice Building?"

"Exactly!" he claps his hands.

"What's the problem, she obviously likes you."

"But why would a girl like that like me, I mean she didn't even know I existed?" I stare at the kid; there is something there that I never noticed before. I've always seen him as some shallow kid who's had a little bit of a tough time but complained too much. Who is to say I wouldn't have ended up as depressed as he was if I had been through what he had.

I'd seen him around school, I didn't know him very well, but I saw the way other kids treated him. He dealt with the same punks at school that I did. I used to be a lot more quiet and awkward, but I dealt with things by being cynical and he dealt with it by becoming depressed.

I guess sometimes you just stop seeing the good in people. For me that meant that I would lash out at everyone, but I guess he just gave up. He saw the worst in everyone, just like me.

"So you are telling me you never saw this girl before in your life, and then when you volunteered she kissed you?"

"Well…" he starts, "I'm mean I saw her around, but she never seemed to notice me that much…"

"But you noticed her?"

"Well yeah, I mean who wouldn't?"

"So you liked her but were too shy to tell her?"

"Yes!" he says frustrated, "That's what I've been telling you!"

"Girls are shy sometimes too you know, you never thought she might be shy too?"

"I don't understand girls at all…." Arto says exhausted.

**Maya Blake**

**District 4 Female Tribute**

I've read my sister's letter a hundred times. I've memorized it. The things she said in there were memorable, I've been thinking about what she wrote for days. I've gotten so caught up in bringing honor back to my family for what she did, I've almost forgotten she is still a part of my family. We grew up together, we shared the same room, chased the same boys at school, we did everything together.

We chose our paths, she chose to rebel and I chose to conform. Is one of us right and one wrong or is it more complex than that? The world is not split into right and wrong, there are degrees. I've volunteered to participate in a fight to the death with other children, but even if I hadn't 23 would still die. I'm not going in for personal glory; I'm going in for my family. I'm risking my life.

I got the best score but that doesn't guarantee anything. I could die in the bloodbath, I know Mina talks a big game, but I know she doesn't think she is getting out. Is that better than deluding myself like Rook has? I need to face my own mortality. I've made the choice to come here, and now I need to live with it, or possibly not live with it.

River's decisions could not be called entirely good or bad either. She did do it as a statement for freedom, but her reasons for doing it were selfish. I can't change the final death toll of a Hunger Games, but because of River more young people are now dead that could have lived. She rebelled because she didn't want an arranged marriage. Our parents may have made an unfair choice for her, but my name was also disgraced by her actions. People looked at me differently in the district. They think I am filth because of what River did; the same goes for my parents.

If River had never done that not only would our family not have been disgraced, but all of those others would be alive. She took advantage of grieving family member of dead tributes, getting them to join her suicidal cause, and they of course all died, along with her boyfriend.

The fact is that I am going into the games. I can't change that, or anything else that has happened to my family. So when I go into the games I will do my best to fight honorably, not become a monster, not kill young children or betray my allies.

If I die in there it will be on my terms.

**Baron Aleric**

**District 4 Male Tribute**

The fourth floor isn't the best place to get a view of the celebrations going on in the city, but I can still make out fireworks. The people are celebrating, out there drinking and having a great time. They can't wait for the games to start tomorrow. I'm ready for them; this is what I've been preparing for my entire life.

I know that I'm not the strongest or the fastest or the smartest tribute, but I want it the most. Every tribute will be fighting for their life, but my honor is more important than my life and I can and will fight harder than anyone because of it. I have the drive to win, it means everything to me. The other careers may want the glory of being crowned victor, but for me it's more than some trivial prize. This is the only way to prove to my father that I really am worthy of being his son. I'll prove to him that I'm worth. He's put all his faith in my sister. My cruel sister has always been favored because she was born strong, not a runt like me.

I'll prove to him and the rest of my family, along with anyone else who doubts me. I can't let the fear in; I can't let it get to me. I will show no fear in the face of death, I will win my honor, my father will finally love me.

I can feel tears beginning to form in my eyes. Father would not approve of crying, he would scold me for being a weakling, for being pathetic. I do my best to hold back the tears but thinking about my father's criticisms only makes it harder not to cry and I do. He would be so ashamed of me now. I'm ashamed of myself. I shouldn't be crying I've worked so hard to become strong, I've trained hard, I've earned my skills through hard work, unlike my sister, who was born with talent.

For a second I consider finding Maya or my mentor to talk to, but I quickly banish the idea from my mind. I never needed to talk to anyone else about my feelings before, and I don't need to start now. No, Maya is a competitor; if I show her my weaknesses she will exploit them. I don't need to worry as much about Jace, my mentor, betraying me; after all it is his job to help me.

Still I can't let him know what I'm really going through. He seems trustworthy, he acts like he legitimately wants to protect me. I can tell that he has seen too many he has mentored go to their death. The last tribute he mentored to come home was Finnick Odair seven years ago. Now Finnick is a mentor as well, in fact he's mentoring Maya this year. I understand it's a bit odd for both mentors to be male, but when I think back to some of the female victors I understand why. Mags has been around forever, at least ten years longer than Jace; no one can understand her and last year's victor, Annie, is simply insane.

My father had Jace as a mentor too, but Jace doesn't like to talk about my father with me, which is fine. I know they don't exactly see eye to eye. I think Jace holds the fact that my father has never mentored against him. My father has never really been big on the whole mentoring thing; I don't think he likes giving help to those he sees as beneath him. The only person he ever wanted to help was his daughter, to carry on his legacy.

Instead I am going be the one who carries on the legacy of Ajax Aleric. It is my destiny.

**Marly Gray**

**District 12 Female Tribute**

I'm not sure how long I've been lying in bed; it must be a few hours now. This is in all likelihood the last time I'll ever be in a real bed in my life and I can't fall asleep. My mind is racing; I can't stop thinking about what kind of deathtrap I'll end up in. Then there are the other tributes too who will be trying to kill me, including two career packs.

For all I know I'll be dead by tomorrow, District 12 tributes don't make it very far often and we end up bloodbaths more often than anyone else. Maybe if I was some strong tribute, but how is some fourteen year old tomboy supposed to make it in the games? I'm stronger than any of the other girls my age and taller too, but can I really stand a chance against those insane tributes?

There are so many of them; the crazy girl who thinks she's the prettiest girl in the world, the kid who's dad won who keeps talking about destiny, the psycho from 9, and that's just a few of them. Still, I suppose I have some advantages, I'm used to going on adventures with my friends, dealing with dangerous situations.

I'm quick and light on my feet, which will be very helpful. I've been going back and forth for days on how to use this in the games. I could just escape the bloodbath, run away, never let them catch me. I could also head into the bloodbath, grab some supplies and run out, but that's risky, but more helpful in the long run.

I flip over in my bed; I don't know what to do. I wish I had found some allies, I hate being alone. Maybe I could have talked to the pair from 5 and the mom. They seemed nice. I guess it's too late now. I really don't want to die alone. I miss my friends and my mom. Growing up with just my mom we got very close, and she was very young when she had me, almost like that girl Brooklynne from 6. It was almost like we were sisters instead of a parent and child.

I'll never see her or any of my friends again. I have plenty of guy friends but my closest friend is the girl who has lived next to me my whole life, Fern. She couldn't be more different than me, she is such a girly girl, but I trust her, we've been best friends since we were five. My hand goes to my wrist, I've got Fern's old bracelet. She used to wear it everywhere, but she gave it to me when we said goodbye. I haven't taken it off since then and it will be my token.

It's one of the few things keeping me going. I want to get home and see her and Mom again. I don't want to die.

* * *

**Well that is the end of "Part I," the games are next. Thanks again for all the great reviews you guys are too good to me. Oh and if you are wondering why I've been so horribly slow updating, here is a small part of the reason: derick89 . blogspot 2013/01/top-20-films-of-2012 . html, its a list of the top 20 films of the year and Hunger Games fans may like it. Anyway enough shameless self promotion from me (the link is also on my profile) I hope you guys liked the chapter!  
**


	11. The Bloodbath: Part I

**PART II: THE MAIN EVENT**

**Brooklyn Satire**

**District 6 Female Tribute**

A loud knock at the door wakes me up. It's my mentor. She's here to take me to the arena. I wonder how much sleep I got last night, maybe like an hour? All I could think about last night was Emma. If I don't come back how is she supposed to grow up without a mother? I know that my sister will be able to keep her safe, and she loves Emma, but I need to be there for her.

I get dressed and meet my mentor outside. I'm eventually joined by Reid and his mentor and we eat breakfast in silence. None of us speak, we are all too nervous. I make sure to fill up; this is going to be the last real food I get. After this I'll be scrounging for berries and hunting down raccoons or something.

We head out of the building and I say goodbye to my mentor. The plane to take the tributes to the arena is waiting for us. All the tributes are strapped in and they jab us with a huge needle to put a tracker in our arm. It's painful.

I glance around at the faces of the other tributes. A lot look nervous. Even Rook, who I haven't seen stop flirting since we got here, is quiet. He still looks like he is trying to be tough, just like the rest of the careers. Some of the anti-careers are trying to be tough too, Ivan and Cal look pretty intimidating, but Arto actually falls asleep during the flight.

We land and I'm taken to the launch room where my stylist, Cash, is waiting. He gives me a glass of water and we just sit and wait there until they decide to call me over to the launch platform. I can barely move when they call me over. It's like I'm literally paralyzed by fear.

What is up there? There could be anything in that arena. I think of all the terrible things I've seen in the games, the monsters, the traps, the deadly landscapes. I need to trust my allies and do my best. I need to keep my head clear, I can't be distracted. I have to survive.

Glass comes down separating me from Cash and I feel a tear fall down my face. Then the platform takes me up.

**Ekronik Rodell**

**District 3 Male Tribute**

I rise into the arena and attempt to take in my surroundings. The arena is like nothing I've seen before. It's dark and dingy; the ground appears to be made of some kind of gravel or pebbles. There is a strange, if not faint smell in the air. It's somehow familiar, but I can't quite place it.

Surrounding the circle of tributes is a larger circular wall made of dark stone, but the stone is not smooth. It has pieces jetting off in every direction which look sharp. There are twelve breaks in the wall, long "hallways," leading to who knows where. The corridors are placed equidistant from each other; each one is between a pair of tributes. It will not be a simple matter to escape this bloodbath.

I glance to my left, it's the boy from 6, Reid, and on my right is Marly, the girl from 12. I'd much rather take my chances to the right. Of course I can't just run away I need to find my district partner Nessie, I made a promise to protect her. I scan the tributes for her and see that she is roughly one third of the circle away from me. She is between the boy Kayde from 2 and Terya from 7.

Kayde will kill her; I have to get to her fast.

I quickly check the cornucopia and see a variety of weapons and supplies, as usual with the more desirable items closer to the center. I have seventeen seconds left before the gong signals the beginning of the games. I see a pickax between Nessie and myself and I ready my body to break into a sprint.

There just under ten seconds left, then five, then three…one.

Then it starts.

The gong sounds and I sprint past Marly and grab the pickax. I can see Nessie hesitate not sure where to go, I shout "RUN," as loud as I can but she doesn't hear me. Kayde seems more interested in heading to the cornucopia than trying to kill her with his bare hands, which is more than I can say about two tributes who've gotten into a fistfight on my right. Nessie begins to head down a corridor which is free of tributes and for a moment I think we are safe, but then I see them.

The girls from the career pack have weapons and they are heading straight for her. "No!" I shout again. It's too late; Mina kills her without a moment's hesitation. I don't stop running. I don't know why but I'm going to make her pay. I'm within a stride of them about to swing my pickax into Mina's neck when I feel a tremendous pain in my midsection. I don't know how but I lost focus on Maya while going after Mina, and now I'm paying for it.

I fall to the ground bleeding out as Maya removes her sword from my stomach. She gives me a quick glance and I see a bit of remorse on her face. It's almost like she feels bad about killing me.

**Chel Byrne**

**District 9 Female Tribute**

I grab a small dagger on the outskirts of the bloodbath. Chaos is all around me. I thought I would be ready for this, but how could I have been. I just saw two people die, one was a twelve year old girl, and the other was killed for trying to protect her. How am I supposed to deal with that?

I don't have time to process any of this; I see a glint of metal flying through the air and for a terrifying moment I think I'm about to die. I realize that I wasn't the target when I see a throwing knife sticking out of the boy from District 10's neck. I think his name was Aiden. He falls over and drops a bag of supplies and I know what I have to do.

I glance behind me; I don't know where that knife came from. When I look behind me I see the boy from 7, Arto. He was the one who threw the knife. He looks sad. It isn't the same kind of sadness I've seen on his face before where he looked like he felt sorry for himself, it's resent. He has just killed someone and I can see the guilt on his face. I never want to feel what he is feeling, but I can't get out alive unless I kill. How am I supposed to do that?

Suddenly without warning I see a mace smash into Arto's head. Kayde is standing behind him holding the bloody weapon. I notice something on my arm, I think it's a piece of Arto's brain. I bush it off and I see Kayde run off to fight some other tributes. I glance back to Aiden's motionless body, his supplies are still there.

I run for them; he fell pretty close to one of the paths leading away from the cornucopia. If I can grab them I can make my escape. I am just a few feet away from the supplies when I notice someone else has the same idea. It's the girl from 12; good, just a fourteen year old girl, I should be able to handle her. I get to the bag first but she is quick to grab it too.

We struggle over it and I'm about to stab her with my knife. I hesitate. How long did it take for me to forget what I just saw? I can't kill her. I can't let her have the supplies either. I kick her as hard as I can in the face.

I hear a loud crunch when my boot hits her face followed by a cry of pain. She lets go of the bag and I sprint for the passage away from the bloodbath. I only let myself glance back for a second once I'm a few feet into the long corridor. Marly is lying on the ground holding her face, which is a bloody mess. I've definitely broken her nose. I may not have killed her directly but there is no way she is getting out of that bloodbath.

She will be easy work for Cal or Mina or any of these other tributes now. If she had grabbed the pack she could have made a clean escape, but I did instead. She isn't going to make it far with the intense pain and blood soaked face I've given her. Maybe I should have just stabbed her with my knife? It might have been more humane than this.

**Ivan Hill**

**District 8 Male Tribute**

Jasper takes another swing at me and barely misses. This kid knows how to fight. Neither of us have a weapon, we just ran for each other and started to brawl. I really doubt that it was a coincidence that the two tributes who were the best brawlers ended up next to each other when we rose from the tubes. I bet that's what Jasper showed the Gamemakers, his hand to hand combat skills. They knew we would end up fighting, and I'm glad they did.

I've missed the feeling of a good fight, me and another guy matched up. No weapons, no tricks just a good old fashioned fistfight. Jasper is a natural fighter, he learned how to fight on the streets, just like I did, I can tell by the way he moves. He and I didn't go to some academy for years, we've already been fighting for survival for years.

I take a quick couple of jabs at his ribcage, I manage to hit the same spot twice, hopefully they ribs are at least bruised. He manages to catch me by the wrist as I try to land a third blow on the same spot he has me at a disadvantage. He pulls my arm down and at the same time makes contact with my face using his elbow.

I manage to break his grip a second later, but the damage is done. I taste the familiar metallic taste in my mouth and I spit blood on the ground. I quickly run my tongue across my teeth and they all seem to be there. Good.

We continue to hit each other with a succession of punches. Some are blocked, some land. We are beating the crap pot of each other. It's just like the good ol' days. I can feel the adrenalin pumping through my veins. But this time there is no tapping out, no stopping if someone goes limp. Here we don't stop, not until one of us is dead.

**Rook Delacroix**

**District 1 Male**

I have a sword, I look around, a bunch of tributes are fighting. There is so much blood. Five tributes are already dead, if I want to get an easy kill it's now or never, a bunch of the weaker tributes have already been killed. I see my chance run by me, the little kid from 6, Reid looks like he's trying to grab some supplies before he heads off.

I never really took notice of him before, I was always more interested in that district partner of his, Brooklyn, the girl with the kid. If she got knocked up she must be pretty easy. I think I saw her run over to her allies from 5 earlier. Oh well it's too late for anything to happen with her now anyway.

It isn't hard to catch the kid Reid, I grab him and he falls over pathetically. His glasses fall off and I crush them under my foot. "Too bad kid," I say with a smirk. "Nothin' personal, but I'm the best and you're just a tiny little hurdle on my path to victory and fame." I stab him through the heart and watch as the color drains from his face. I take a moment to look up and let the cameras take in my good looks.

Just as I'm letting them capture my brilliance I hear someone behind me. I spin around and see Cal, the crazy anti-career from 9 about to swing a mace at me. As he is bringing his mace down it's blocked by a pair of swords. It's Maya. Not like I needed her help anyway, I could have handled this guy. "Good luck," I say as I head back to the center of the cornucopia to grab some more loot. If Maya wants to fight Cal she can be my guest.

I grab a back pack which I'm sure is filled with all kinds of good stuff and pause to take in the carnage around me. On the outskirts of the cornucopia are the dead bodies of both of District 3's tributes. Arto's body isn't far away from me. I see a trail of blood and hear screams of the girl from 12 whose face is covered in blood. She can't even see where she is going. I see that my ally Baron has zeroed in on her; he'll make short work of the idiot.

Ivan and Jasper are just hitting each other without weapons. What a couple of morons. Just grab a sword or something, come on. I consider jumping in and slicing the two of them up, but why unite them while they are busy trying to kill each other? It looks like a couple of anti-carriers, my district partner and Lucian, have cornered the girl from 8, Isabelle. Doesn't look great for her. Maya and Cal are still fighting it out, and a few tributes are running for the exits. I see Brooklyn's group again making their way for one. I can't let them get away that easily.

I grab a bow lying next to my feet; it's not my weapon of choice, but hey I'm not about to let them just run away. I string the arrow and draw it back taking aim at the male from 5. I release and the arrow flies towards him, but my aim is off, it swerves to the left.

It hits Brooklyn in the chest.

* * *

**My sincerest apologies that I missed a week in updating, my life has been somewhat hectic (don't worry it's all good stuff) and my fanfiction was put on the backburner for a second. I hope you guys can forgive me, and I hope that the start of the games was intriguing. I'm taking a different approach from last time in writing the bloodbath, making it a very big event over two chapters and with a lot of deaths. Unfortunately that means a lot of people's amazing tributes will die early including some of my own favorites. Anyway I really will try to update more timely for the second half of the bloodbath, I don't want to leave you guys in too much suspense. ****I will post a list of the deaths and alliances at the end of each chapter starting with the end of the bloodbath. **I hope my delay has not scared away any of my loyal reviewers, you guys are the reason I write, and I hope you can tell me your thoughts on the chapter! 


	12. The Bloodbath: Part II

**A quick note before I begin, I realize that last chapter I wrote that Mina was fighting Cal, but it's actually Maya. Thanks to Chaos in her Wake for catching that, and sorry for any confusion, but its Maya fighting Cal.**

* * *

**Charlie Watsen**

**District 5 Male Tribute**

"No!" Violet yells as Brooklyn keels over in pain. I glance at the monster who just shot the arrow at her and he seems almost shocked at what happened, but then I see him literally shrug. The idiot turns around looks for another arrow.

Violet and I run over to Brook and help her to her feet. We have to get her out of here. She is alive, but I don't how much longer she can possibly last like this. I hear her mumble something, but I can't tell what it is, so I lean in closer to hear her. "Lookout," she says.

I glance behind me just in time to see Violet sidestep Leighann's attack and I manage to get out of the way but not quickly enough. Her sword slices me across the stomach. It's the single most painful thing I've ever experienced. I don't think she managed to hit anything vital but having a huge gash in my stomach can't be that good for me.

Violet scrambles back to Brooklynne, who is back on the ground after Leighann's attack, but Brooklynne says something to her and Violet turns away and grabs me instead. "What the are you doing?" I shout.

"Brooklynne told me to go back for you; she isn't going to make it."

"Neither am I, just get out."

"Shut up Charlie."

I manage to hobble away from the bloodbath in great pain, thankfully Leighann doesn't pursue us down the path, instead joining a fight with some anti-careers and Isabelle, and we make a clean getaway. We make out way down the long terrifying looking path; each side has a really shiny rock with spikey things jutting off in every direction. It looks like just touching that wall could cut someone pretty bad. Kind of like how I'm cut across the stomach.

Finally after what seems like miles we get a change from the endless long corridor. It splits into two paths one left and one right. "How are you holding up Charlie?" Violet asks distressed.

"I think my spleen fell out back there other than that, I'm good."

Violet rolls her eyes. "Is everything a joke with you?"

"Pretty much," I answer honestly. "Here is something serious, you should have left me and taken Brook."

"Charlie, she….she wasn't doing well, she wouldn't have made it."

"Yeah, well," I say taking a deep painful breath "My current condition isn't exactly top notch either."

"Come on," she says, "Lets head this way, and we take off down the right pathway."

**Jasper Jarrah**

**District 11 Male Tribute**

The individual battles are beginning to break down. Ivan and I are still just hitting each other, but not too far off from us there is a huge battle with Isabelle, Lucian, Safyra and Leighann. Most of the non career or anti-careers have already escaped or are dead; the only one besides me that I can spot is Isabelle.

I'm snapped back to what's directly in front of me when Ivan takes another swing at me. This isn't some street fight back home, this is the Hunger Games. I've been in plenty of tough situations with peacekeepers, gotten plenty of whippings for it, but I could always come back from that. This is totally different, the peacekeepers did plenty of terrible things to me, but death was never really considered. Now it seems more than likely.

I block another punch from Ivan and try to land one of my own, but he is just as quick as I am. I notice out of the corner of my eye that the big battle is moving a little closer to us. This is not going to end well. My district partner Leighann is the first to stumble over to us, and the rest are close behind. Ivan's allies are here too, as well as Isabelle who tries to make an escape but is tripped up by Safyra. It's one career three antis and me and Isabelle. Not good odds. To make matters worse I see that Kayde, Baron, and Mina are coming our way too.

My fistfight to the death from a minute ago now seems like it was a walk in the park. Blades are colliding everywhere. I'm surrounded by people trying to kill me. I quickly dodge an attack from Mina's sword, but a second later I feel a sharp pain on my cheek. It's from a whip, I see Kayde holding one, but he seems to be lashing out on anyone he can hit instead of focusing on me. That's good because I can feel the blood streaming down my face.

Ivan hits Isabelle in the face and she goes down hard. In the next moment Safyra doesn't waste any time; she plunges her spear into Isabelle's neck. A terrible kind of gurgle emerges from Isabelle and so does a ton of blood which sprays everyone in the area like a geyser. I feel some of her blood hit my cheek and it mixes with my own. There is no telling what blood I'm losing and what is dripping off me that came from the now dead tribute.

The fighting doesn't stop with Isabelle's death of course. The careers and the anti-careers are still fighting it out and I'm stuck in the middle of it with no weapon. Baron comes at me with a knife, but I manage to grab his wrist and turn his own weapon against him. I push the small blade into his side, it's a glancing blow, not deadly, but good enough to slow him down.

Without warning Baron and I are knocked over. Leighann has crashed into us, thrown or knocked over herself by one of the other tributes. I'm lying on the ground and so is Baron, he is either unconscious or dead. Leighann is stumbling around holding her head; if I had to guess I'd say she has a concussion. I glance up and see Ivan is holding off Mina, it seems he found a machete somehow and they are parrying each other again and again. Kayde is standing over Lucian and I can see that his whip is around Lucian's neck, slowly squeezing the life out of him. Out of nowhere Safyra is next to me with her spear, ready to bring it down on my neck just like she did with Isabelle. Without thinking I grab some of the gravel and chuck it at her face and make a break for it.

**Darcy Eowynn**

**District 10 Female Tribute**

I stop for a moment to catch my breath, I'm breathing hard. I've been running down corridors forever. A left turn here, a right one there, it never seems to lead anywhere. It's all just the same black spikey stone walls everywhere, I can't even lean against a wall without being skewered. It's clear what this arena is, a labyrinth. We are just rats in a maze.

But if that's true that must mean there are some hidden treasures, right? If I go the right way, find some hidden path surely there must be some reward? After all who would want to see a bunch of tributes wandering aimlessly? There must be some hidden food and water around somewhere, there always is in the games. Finding it in a labyrinth may be tricky, but as long as I keep looking I'm bound to stumble on something sooner or later.

For now though I need a break. I'm still breathing heavily and I can taster something strange in the air. It's probably just the change in altitude, we flew pretty far from the Capitol, and after sprinting nonstop like I did it's no surprise I'm feeling a bit lightheaded. Honestly I'm lucky to have made it out of there at all.

I wonder who else made it out; I saw a few others killed. I suppose that the more who died the better it is for me. That's a very morbid thought. Who died in there? Maybe some careers? The anti-careers maybe? Maybe Terya? I can't help but think that she deserves it. That girl, she is just cruel, I hate her. If I don't win I just hope it isn't her who wins. I know it's isn't good to wish anyone dead, but either way twenty-three are going to die, and I think that the world would be a better place without her.

As I think about Terya I can't help but get the funny feeling that she is right behind me. She could have followed me, I'd have been easy to track, I'm still breathing heavily. I only managed to grab a tiny knife when I ran away, who knows what she has? I spin around and there is nothing there, but for a moment I think I see a flash of Terya's curly brown hair. Am I imagining things?

I very hesitantly walk over to the corner where I thought I saw her, but there is nothing there. I'm just getting paranoid, that's it, I just need to calm down. I'm just freaking out letting my imagination get the best of me. I take a deep breath through my nose to calm my nerves. There is that weird smell again. It's pretty faint, but I know I've smelled it before. Where though?

Suddenly it hits me. I remember it was a year or two ago; I went to the Plains Ranch to get some milk for my family. It's the biggest ranch in the whole district, and when I got there I decided to do a bit of exploring. It is a really cool place, but it sort of fell into disarray after one of the Plains girls died in the games a few years back. I was walking by a tree when I head a strange buzzing. I thought it would be safe to check out because I hadn't known that, like the mockingjays, tracker jackers had migrated into the district. Thankfully I only got stung once, but it was one of the worst feelings of my life. I remember how the venom felt, the terrible things I saw.

There is no mistaking the poison that is in the air. It's a faint version of the horrible toxin from the tracker jackers. The gamemakers are going to tear us apart through fear. For someone like me with a vivid imagination, this is a nightmare.

**Cal Barnes**

**District 9 Male Tribute**

It's just me and Maya, the girl who managed to get the best score in training. I wouldn't have it any other way. She wasn't my original target, I wanted to go after that prettyboy imbecile, Maya but she saved him. He paid her back by running away, leaving her to fend for herself against me. Together they could have taken me down, but now that he's abandoned her it's an even battle. I've already managed to steal one of the careers for my alliance, if I take out Maya, who's taken on a leadership role I will disrupt the pack even further.

But I shouldn't get too ahead of myself I still need to take down Maya, and it won't be easy. Maya takes a swipe at me with one of her two swords. Her moves aren't choppy, it's all fluid motions. She never stops, one slice leads into another. It's very different from my direct style. I managed to grab one large sword, and I've managed to hold her off for a little while, but I don't know if it will last.

She has determination and will that matches even my own, but I have no remorse which gives me the edge. I know what it feels like to have to kill to survive; I no longer have any hesitation. I saw her get her first kill, the boy from 3, and the look on her face told it all. She doesn't really want to be here, she doesn't have the spirit of a Victor. She has a conscience, like I did once, but in here conscious might make you hesitate and a moment's hesitation means death.

She manages to cut me on the arm, but it isn't bad a minor distraction at most. Her whirlwind of attacks just keep coming though. I respond with one of my own attacks, I need to break her rhythm. I manage to do just that when I parry one of her blows forcefully. For the first time she stops her attack, for just a moment. The moment ends and she is coming at me again, but I can tell I've shaken her; however this just makes her attacks more intense.

I go on the defensive, but I can't block every one of her blows. Soon I've got cuts all over myself. Still I don't give up my footing and stance; I just need to wait for the right moment. She is relentless, I just have to hold. We've maneuvered our way to the edge of the cornucopia by now, far away from the other battles.

Maya swings low and I block, but she uses her other blade to slice my chest. I take a breath and realize it hasn't punctured anything, but I may bleed out. I take a huge swing at Maya and manage to knock her back a few steps. It's enough.

Maya is impaled on the wall, the various spikes sticking out from it puncture her body all over. There is no denying that she's dead.  
I spot a bad of medical supplies that I know I'll need for my chest and out of the corner of my eye see Rook. He looks like he is going to fight me for a second, but glances at Maya. I see the fear in his eyes. He doesn't want a one on one battle with me.

Suddenly I see my allies running towards me, at least two of them, being chased by the careers. "Run!" Ivan shouts. I'm not big on fleeing, but I'm guessing that this is all that's left of my alliance; if the careers want the cornucopia they can have it.

**Mina Sabiler**

**District 2 Female Tribute**

The anti-careers run off into the arena, we don't pursue them. There is no guaranteeing we would be able to find our way back if we could even catch them. "Is Baron alive?" I ask somewhat nonchalantly.

"He's breathing," Kayde answers. There are bodies all around us. The hovercrafts should be here soon. I almost jump as the first cannon goes off. It's followed by nine more. Ten of us are dead already. Including Maya. She might have been the strongest of any of us; if I lived in the Capitol I think I would have bet on her.

Now she is dead.

"Too bad, I always thought she was cute," I hear the familiar voice behind me referencing Maya's body. The next thing I know I've got Rook on the ground with my sword at his neck.

"You!" I shout,

"Mina, what are you doing?" Kayde is freaking out.

"Maya saved his life and he left her to die, I saw the whole thing, I should kill him."

"Calm down, we need him," Kayde nervously tells me.

"Why?"

"We're still the strongest alliance, we can't turn on each other now!" he reasons.

"He already turned on us!"

"No, he may have ran but he didn't kill her, we have to keep him around," Kayde finishes. I can see Leighann holding her sword ready to strike, if I kill Rook out fragile alliance might break completely.

"Fine," I lift the sword and Rook gets up, and he's uncharacteristically speechless. "Who died?" I change the subject.

"Well," Kayde starts, "Maya is gone and so are two of the antis, Arto and Lucian. The pairs from 3 and 6 are gone too."

"That's seven, who were the last three?"

"There was the guy Aiden," Leighann adds, "Arto got him."

"Isabelle from 8 too," Rook finally speaks up.

"Who was the last one?" I wonder.

Everyone glances around until Kayde spots her. "Oh right," he says morbidly, "Marly, the girl from 12, I think Baron got her." I see the girl now, or at least what was once a girl. Now it's just a bloody lifeless body.

* * *

**So thats the end of the bloodbath. I hope you guys enjoyed it and I'm sorry if I killed off you tribute, I know how much it sucks to have a tribute you've sent in die in the bloodbath from experience, but I wanted to do a big bloodbath for a few reasons and I went back and forth on who would die a lot. Anyway tell me your thoughts in a review, if you would be so kind. Below is the death list I promised you guys...**

**Rook Delacroix  
Kayde Roberts  
Mina Sablier  
Baron Aleric  
**Maya Blake- Killed by Cal in the bloodbath**  
Leighann Ash  
**

Ekronik Rodell- Killed by Maya in the bloodbath  
"Nesie" Keiberger- Killed by Mina in the bloodbath**  
**

**Safyra Hope  
**Arto Green- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath**  
Ivan Hill  
Cal Barnes  
**Lucian Night- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath**  
**

**Charlie Watsen  
Violet Prior  
**Brooklynne Satire- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath**  
**

Reid Meyer- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath

**Terya Wylie**

Isabelle Catcher- Killed by Safyra in the bloodbath

**Chel Byrne**

Adian Kay- Killed by Arto in the bloodbath

**Darcy Eowyn**

**Jasper Jarrah**

Marly Gray- Killed by Baron in the bloodbath


	13. Survivors

**Baron Aleric**

**District 4 Male Tribute**

I slowly open my eyes. My head is throbbing and I feel stiff. What happened? As I get up I hear a familiar voice, "Hey Baron is awake!" I glance over and see the voice's owner Kayde.

"How long was I out?"

"A few hours, you missed the end of the bloodbath," Rook tells me.

"How many?" I ask without emotion.

"Ten," Mina says. I hadn't noticed her before. She has her back to us and is staring at a campfire. Ten that's good I should be proud, and I got a kill, my dad would be honored, I'm sure he would have said I'd be a bloodbath. But I don't feel honored. I just feel empty inside.

This is supposed to the most glorious time of my life, I went into the games, I have my first kill, I've done my district and my family well. I still feel hollow. I close my eyes and rub my head trying to come back to my senses. All I can think about is Marly's face as I was about to kill her. She was covered in blood, and I had her cornered. She didn't beg for mercy or do any of the pathetic things I would expect of a District 12 tribute.

She just fought for her life. It was a very one sided fight, if you could even call it that, she didn't have a weapon, was injured and I know how to kill. I didn't give it a second thought at the time. Her last words keep running through my head, "You'll get what's coming…"

After I had finished her off I ran over to help my allies in another fight. Now that is all I can think about. Is this going to happen every time get a kill? Maybe this is just something fleeting, it should pass.

Do any of the others feel how I'm feeling? Most of them got kills. I saw Maya kill the little girl from 3. How is she handling any of this? I quickly glance around the cornucopia for her, I see; Kayde, Mina, Rook and Leighann, but no sign of Maya.

"Where's Maya?" For a moment there is silence, and the others glance around awkwardly. "Where is Maya?" I repeat louder.

"Cal got her," Kayde finally answers me. No, he is wrong, it doesn't make any sense, Cal is some bumpkin from District 9, Maya is from 4, and she is strong. She nearly go a perfect training score, it doesn't make any sense.

How? This is wrong, she was my District partner, the one person here I might have trusted; the closest thing to a friend I have in this place. It's a lie. It can't be true. How can Maya be dead?

"It doesn't make any sense," I say out loud.

"You're partner's dead," Leighann snaps at me "Get over it." I glare at her, I hate her. I don't like any of my allies, but I really hate her.

**Terya Wylie**

**District 7 Female Tribute**

Night falls and the anthem begins, soon they will show the faces of the dead tributes. I keep my stare fixed at the sky where they begin to show the pictures of the fallen tributes. There were ten cannons after the bloodbath; almost half of us are dead. I'm that much closer to getting home. I wonder who died? Hopefully the careers, and hopefully that brat Darcy. She didn't seem very tough, I'd be glad to have seen her go.

I never want to see her again. Not just because I hate her, but because of what she brings out in me. I don't know what would happen if I saw her. If the two of us had a fight I'm afraid what I would do. I hate the careers too, but it's not as personal with them somehow, I'd hate them no matter what, but Darcy just gets under my skin.

If I fought Darcy I think something dark would wake up inside me. I'd lose myself, I 'm worried I'd become like them, the careers, a ruthless killer filled with hate. That's the last thing I want to happen to me, if someone else just kills her I won't have to worry about it. If she is dead I can forget my hate, but if I have to fight her I'll be taken over by it.

There is a part of me that really does hope that she is alive and I do find her so I can kill her myself, and that…that realization about myself scares me more than anything. I hope I can just forget about her forever, but if she is alive I know I won't be able to. The gamemakers know we hate each other and I doubt they would let us get through the games without forcing us into a direct confrontation.

The anthem has finished and the pictures of the fallen begin to light the sky. First are the pair from 3, and the next is a surprise, the girl from 4. She was tough, I'm not sure if I'm happy she is gone or more scared that someone out there killed her so quickly. After both faces from 6 have appeared and disappeared I get a real surprise. Arto is dead. I never thought he would win or anything, but the fact that he is just gone shocks me. Unlike all the other dead tributes I knew him; he wasn't just some random face I saw around the training center, he was a good person.

He was always asking me about girls, going through mood swings. He even confided in me about his mother's death. I feel a wave of sadness sweep over me. Suddenly it's all very real. The rest of the tributes shown up there are a blur and I'm vaguely aware that Darcy wasn't up there. I almost don't care anymore. For now.

My sadness will turn into anger, and I know who that anger will turn towards.

**Chel Bryne**

**District 9 Female Tribute**

The night is very cold. I found a dead end to stay in for the time being. The bag I got from Marly had a blanket in it. It also had; some kind of jerky, a flashlight and a water bottle with water in it. These are all valuable supplies. I need them. I don't think I could make it more than a day without them.

I needed to do what I did. It was either Marly or me. She could have let the bag go just as easily. We both wanted the bag, I just made a decision to get it; she might have made the same one if I had hesitated. Besides, all I did was injure her, I didn't kill her.

But someone did. I saw her face projected in the sky. She's dead. In the end it was her or me, only one of us was going to get out of there. I never asked to be here, to be put in a situation where it to survive I have to put others in danger. No the Capitol put me here. They reaped me and Marly; they sentenced twenty three of us to our deaths. Ten of us have already been killed, and in the end no one in here, not even the careers is really to blame for any of the deaths. No, it is all the Capitol's doing.

I'm just doing what I have to get home to my friends and family, the same that every other tribute will do. At least I'm not going out and looking for a fight, like my district partner, he wants to kill; he is a stupid Capitol pawn. I want to win these games by killing as few people as possible, I won't become a monster.

In here the line between good and evil is a blur. We all become killers or corpses, most of us end up as both. I don't want to end up as a corpse, but I don't want to end up evil. I think it is possible to end up as a good person as a victor. I've seen good people who are victors; people like Betee from 3 or my own mentor Rallon. They killed to become victors but they are still honorable good people. Still, I've seen the pain behind Rallon's eyes, I don't think she can ever let go of what she did.

If I am going to survive I need to realize that I will have to make some difficult decisions.

**Safayra Hope**

**District 1 Female Tribute**

My allies have gone to sleep, I took the last shift. I don't think that we really need to worry though, the Capitol got plenty of blood on the first day; they don't need any more yet. Out here I really doubt anyone would be able to track us, the maze is insane, I have no idea if we'll even be able to find our way back to the cornucopia unless the gamemakers want us to.

For now we've found a little alcove to hold up in, there is a small spring here, but nothing else. It's good that I managed to grab a bit of food while escaping the careers, or else we'd all be in trouble. Eventually we'll need to find some kind of food in here, there usually is something in the arena, but it won't be easy to find.

For now though we are alright. It's strangely peaceful for the next few hours, the only sound is the trickling of the spring and the rhythmic sound of Ivan and Cal's breaths. The sun comes up eventually and it really is a beautiful thing. The way the orange sun reflects off the black rock is actually beautiful. It's weird that something so deadly is also almost like a work of art. It was just a few hours ago that I saw Maya impaled on the rocks.

Cal was so ruthless; he is like some kind of crazy person. The alliance I left is just as bad. Leighann is just like the girls that tormented me back home, and the other careers, aren't much better. If I was back there I'm wonder if Rook might try something while I slept. I still think joining the anti-careers was the right decision, we may have lost Arto and Lucian, but Maya was stronger than either of them.

What's more is I don't think that the careers can hold together long, they are all scheming to stab each other in the back. I think I can trust my new allies. Ivan isn't the type to betray anyone as far as I can tell and while Cal would he knows he needs us to take him to the end and will put off fighting us for a long time.

I glance back to the sky; the sun is almost completely up. It really is a beautiful morning.

**Violet Prior**

**District 5 Female Tribute**

"Stop, I…." Charlie pants, "I need to rest." I glance around nervously, we've been walking forever.

"Alright," I say setting him down, "Let's take a breather." I sit on the cold gravel while Charlie just lays down on his back. "How are you feelin'?" I ask nervously.

"Amazing, I'm definitely not dying."

"Charlie…."

"What's your fiancée's name again?" he asks.

"What?" I wonder in confusion, why would he be asking about this.

"The guy you're going to marry back home, what's he go by?"

"His name is Lysander. Why are you asking about him?"

"You have to get back to Lysander, alright? And you won't have me to help you, so try your hardest."

"Charlie, stop talking like that."

"Violet, you can tell I'm done, let's not live in denial, let's just talk alright." Charlie doesn't look good, that cut went deep, he has lost a lot of blood and we didn't grab any supplies in the cornucopia. "You are one of the few people out here that actually has something worth fighting for, Brook was the other one, but we lost her, now you need to come back."

"Everyone has someone back home, I'm not special."

"Hah," he laughs and smiles at me. "You hardly ever talk, but when you do, it's about that dude. You really are in love, how many other tributes can say that they have what you do with Lysander? You're in love, and it's real, that is special."

Charlie is right, I really do love Lysander. I had given up on ever feeling happy again, but he was there for me and when I was with him I felt whole again. "You think I can make it?" I ask Charlie nervously. How am I supposed to contend with the vicious careers and all those other tributes?

"You made it this far, that's pretty impressive, you can do it."

"You sure that isn't sarcasm?"

He laughs, "No, that was serious. You know that I'm usually a pretty cynical guy; I tend not to let people in, you know? I just have a tough time trusting people I never give anybody the benefit of the doubt. I always find a way to convince myself that someone has something wrong with them."

Charlie is scaring me, I've never heard him talk like this; everything is always sealed in ten layers of sarcasm. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm about to die, I need to come to terms with myself, and I'm glad I have a friend to confide in, even if the entire world ends up hearing it…" he adds bitterly. That's one part about Charlie that I recognize, his resent for authority and the Capitol's ever watching eyes. "I trust you though, you're a good person. You and Brooklynne both have people back home that love you. I've never been a sentimental guy, but I you two really showed me something."

"What do you mean?" I can feel the tears beginning to form behind my eyes.

"I think the reason for all the bitterness and the sarcasm was because of my own insecurities, I wanted what you and Brooke have. I wanted someone who loved me unconditionally. My parents love me but they've always been ashamed of me, and what you and Lysander have…well I never came close to that."

"Charlie…" I feel the tears break free and run down my face.

"I was jealous of you guys for a while; that you had people back home, maybe a bit resentful, but you guys were my friends, you put up with all my stupid crap. I haven't had many friends, especially ones that would risk their life to go back for me in the bloodbath. Now that I'm dying I will never find the kind of love that you have, and I doubt I ever would have even if I had survived, but at least I had friends at the end. Its all the more reason for you to get out though, how many people are truly happy? Most of us are just cynical bastards like me, but your love needs live on, you can't let the Capitol stamp it out."

"Thank you Charlie," I say putting my hand on his face.

"Hey," he says tearing up too, "Don't get sappy on me here, I hate it when people get all emotional, you know?" I smile, that's Charlie, sarcastic till the end.

I stay with him till it's over; even after his cannon goes off I stay by his body for a long time.

* * *

**Hopefully that chapter was worth the wait. If it wasn't feel free to yell at me over a review. If it was I wouldn't mind a review saying so either... Anyway we are now really into the games, things are getting intense, I feel like I really put a lot of myself into this chapter, so tell me your thoughts!**

**Rook Delacroix  
Kayde Roberts  
Mina Sablier  
Baron Aleric  
**Maya Blake- Killed by Cal in the bloodbath**  
Leighann Ash  
**

Ekronik Rodell- Killed by Maya in the bloodbath  
"Nesie" Keiberger- Killed by Mina in the bloodbath**  
**

**Safyra Hope  
**Arto Green- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath**  
Ivan Hill  
Cal Barnes  
**Lucian Night- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath**  
**

Charlie Watsen- Died on the second day from a wound inflicted by Leighann**  
Violet Prior  
**Brooklynne Satire- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath**  
**

Reid Meyer- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath

**Terya Wylie**

Isabelle Catcher- Killed by Safyra in the bloodbath

**Chel Byrne**

Adian Kay- Killed by Arto in the bloodbath

**Darcy Eowyn**

**Jasper Jarrah**

Marly Gray- Killed by Baron in the bloodbath


	14. Consequences

**Kayde Roberts**

**District 2 Male Tribute**

It's been two days since the bloodbath and tensions are running high. I can't relate to any of my allies, most of them come from privilege. Rook's father is a rich bearcat, Barnon's is a Victor and Mina's parents aren't exactly poor either. The only one who knows what it means to struggle at all is Leighann and she is completely insane.

Growing up in the slums has hardened me, much more than these pampered idiots. I've had to learn things the hard way, and that gives me the advantage over them. If I hadn't grown up with a father who worked in the quarries I'd have no idea what type of stone the walls of the arena are made of, but I can easily recognize them as obsidian.

It's a valuable and very useful rock. It's both brittle and sharp, it was used by ancient peoples to make weapons, and if I ever need to I'll use it myself. Luckily I don't think I'll need anything that makeshift, I have my whips from the cornucopia, they've already gotten me one kill. I may need them again soon. I'm not sure how much longer this group can stay together, the only thing that has kept us from murdering each other so far is the fear of the antis, but I'm not sure how much longer that will last.

The arrogance of everyone else in this alliance, expect for Mina, is astounding. They all seem to think they could almost take everyone else out single handedly. Not that Mina isn't much better; I don't even think she cares that much about getting out alive. Once a few more tributes die I'll escape, maybe when there are eight of us left.

Being on my own won't be easy, but I can do it. I can survive. I can't die, I won't. I can survive out there in the arena away from the cornucopia; the other careers don't know what it means to be hungry, to struggle to survive every single day. They need the supplies from the cornucopia to survive, and when that runs low they will turn on each other. I can make it out there like the tributes from the lower districts.

If I stay sharp I can come out alive, just like my mentor Chace did three years ago.

**Jasper Jarrah**

**District 11 Male Tribute**

I'm on the verge of death again, but this time it's not because some tributes are coming after me with weapons trying to murder me. Now I'm starving to death and dying of thirst. I haven't found much water around, a little pool here or there, and of course I can never find my way back to any of them in this damn maze. Food is even more scarce; I've only found a couple berries growing out of the gravel next to a pond.

I don't know how much longer I can hold out without something substantial. I've been hoping for a sponsor gift of some type, but my chances don't look great anymore. This place is a nightmare, a horrible death trap designed by the Capitol. I fell over out of exhaustion this morning, the combination of hunger, dehydration and lack of sleep did me in. I've been crawling a lot since then any time I feel lightheaded. I don't want to risk falling into one of those walls.

I don't know if it's my imagination, but I think there is something in the air too. Sleeping is a whole other ordeal. I haven't gotten any real sleep the whole time, I've been caught between sleep and waking over and over. If it weren't hard enough to fall asleep on the gravel, I am in constant fear every time I close my eyes. There are no real hiding places in the arena, so whenever I need to sleep I'm risking being found by somebody. Whenever I'm close to falling asleep I hear something, and I wake up scanning the surrounding area. It's never anything, but the fear keeps me up.

Fear dictates pretty much everything I've done for the last three days. Fear kept me alive in the bloodbath. I ran from that insane battle and got out with my life. Now, though, fear is slowly killing me. It isn't keeping me sharp anymore, it's stolen my sleep and instead of being alert I'm in a constant haze.

I'm crawling right now actually. It's humiliating, I can just imagine that they cut back to me every once in a while just to give the people watching in the Capitol a good laugh. Look at this pathetic little tribute crawling, his life is slipping away from him slowly. My life will continue to slip away unless I can find some way of surviving, something, anything. What are the chances of that when I'm just crawling?

I go for a few more yards and just give up. I need to stop, the sun is out and anyone could find me, but what's the point? I'll just keep crawling and crawling till I'm dead. A quick nap will do me some real good. I sprawl out, stretching my arms and legs as far as I can, and I notice something strange.

My fingertips graze something strange, there is something beneath the gravel. I haven't felt anything beneath the gravel this entire time, it's always just more gravel, but here there is something. I get up and examine it closer. The thing is smooth, it seems to be made out of the same rock that the walls are, but without any sharp edges. It's a circle. It's level with the ground, but if I try I may be able to dig out an edge.

I have no idea what this is, it may mean death, or it might be nothing. It also might be just what I need to live.

**Chace Castellan**

**The Capitol**

There is a bar in the Capitol that only a select few are allowed to go to. The elite are the only ones who may attend, people like gamemakers, and other important Capitol figures frequent it. Oh and of course it's open to the victors as well. I don't usually drink, but the stress of watching Kayde in the arena is taking its toll on me. Seeing the games on such a personal level again also isn't great for me.

All those dead kids, and I'm trying to help Kayde kill more. It doesn't exactly bring back good memories. Kayde has already gotten two kills, a pair of anti-carriers. It's almost like I've killed them myself. Arto and Lucian. I know both their mentors well; both are members of the secret rebellion. In fact I see Lucian's mentor passed out at the end of the bar.

I don't blame Haymitch for trying to drown his troubles in booze. He is the only one of us who has to mentor two tributes, since he is the only living victor from 12. Every year he sees both of the children he was mentoring die, some years, like this one, neither makes it past the bloodbath. It was the same way in my games.

I order a drink and glance up at a TV overhead. There hasn't been much action for the past few days; they seem content to show the boy from 11 digging around something he found in the ground. I wonder if it's a trap or something good. Hopefully it's a trap, then Kayde will be that much close to winning. I down my drink; I need to think this way to bring my friend's brother home alive.

Kayde has always been a good kid, sure he is misguided, but he isn't a bad kid. I wonder how I would have ended up had I been raised like he was. I had every advantage in the world with my mother the victor, and I was raised to idolize the games. He grew up with nothing and was told how evil the games were. We both volunteered, both to prove something to our parents and about our way of life, but while I was fighting to retain my life and legacy he is trying to escape his. I wonder if either of us would have wanted to go into the games if our positions had been reversed.

Of course we both were also influenced by absent parents as well, my father, who died in the Games, killed by my own mother, and his mother who left to become a peacekeeper. I know for a fact that she is here in the Capitol; I've made sure to avoid her. If I do fail to bring Kayde home alive then I don't want to know the face of his grieving mother.

**Aly River**

**The Capitol**

I haven't been able to see River since the night before the games. I've gotten some of the higher ups to move some things around to give me a chance to talk to her. I don't know what to expect, she's had to put on a strong face for the past few days, pretending that Maya's death hasn't affected her. I don't know how she's done it.

When I get to her quarters I don't see her immediately, she's bundled up in some blankets crying in the corner. "River…" I walk over to her and lightly put my hand on her back. She turns around and hugs me tightly. We just sit there for a few minutes, letting her cry on my shoulder. She lost her first love all those years ago, and now she's lost a sister too.

After a while she finally composes herself and gets out a pen and paper so we can communicate.

_It's all my fault _she writes.

"No," I respond, "It was the Capitol."

_If I hadn't rebelled and dishonored our family the she would never have had wanted to volunteer. _

"You can't blame yourself for the choices that others make."

_I'm a monster. It's my fault all those people died, the people I got to rebel. I took advantage of them, they must have been feeling like I was now, hopeless and angry. I tricked them into rebelling using their grief._

"You didn't trick anyone; they agreed to fight against the injustice of the Capitol because they didn't want what happened to their family members to happen to anyone else." River just shakes her head. "You should be proud of your sister, she was brave in there, she fought honorably and didn't lose herself. She was a good person."

_I hate Cal._

I take a deep breath. I understand what she is feeling, rage at the person who murdered her sister. Cal is a sadistic unhinged jerk, but he is only a pawn. The Capitol is the real enemy and River knows this, but it's a lot easier to be mad at one person than an entire government, especially if you've just seen that person impale your sister.

"Cal will get what he deserves, I'm sure." I know this isn't the most enlightened thing to say, but River is angry and the fact of the matter is that I hate Cal too. I really hope someone takes care of him soon.

**Leighann Ash**

**District 11 Female Tribute**

Night has fallen. It's not my shift to be on watch, but I'm awake anyway. I hardly ever sleep especially now that I'm in the arena. I don't trust the careers; they are the kind of people who would kill me in my sleep. That's probably why I ended up allying with them; I'm just as despicable as they are. That's why I plan to kill them all in their sleep tomorrow night.

Using some kind of weapon is too risky, after I killed one the others would wake up and they'd attack me, defeating the entire point of killing them in their sleep. No, my plan is much more ingenious than that. It's brilliantly simple actually, all I need to do is poison them.

During training I managed to learn about deadly poisons and what they smell and look like. On the first day I managed to find a vial of poison, stashed there by the gamemakers just in case any tribute actually had paid attention to that training station, and luckily for them I had. Once I was sure none of my allies were watching I grabbed the vial and it hidden in my clothes at all times.

I'll poison them one by one, they will silently slip away into death. This is what they get for falling asleep and trusting me. I never trusted any of them. With the careers gone I'll have taken out my only real competition.

Who else is there? Three idiots claiming to somehow oppose us, calling themselves anti-careers. No, I'm sure one of those people will turn on the other two just like I'm about to turn on my allies. Then there are the two girls trying to kill each other, neither is a threat. Here's my partner Jasper, who has no real skills, the girl from 9, who I don't think has a weapon and the one from 5, who is a joke and I doubt could kill anyone. Soon they'll all be dead and I'll be crowned as the victor of the 71st Hunger Games.

Just one more day and I'll put my plan into action. I think about just doing it tonight on my shift, but why rush it? I should just stick to the plan, with any luck someone else out there will die tomorrow.

* * *

**So last chapter I got a lot of very different responses to almost all of the characters, which is great because I'm trying to avoid traditional heroes and villains (for the most part) and make more complex characters. Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as well even though it was a bit mild.**

**Rook Delacroix  
Kayde Roberts  
Mina Sablier  
Baron Aleric  
**Maya Blake- Killed by Cal in the bloodbath**  
Leighann Ash  
**

Ekronik Rodell- Killed by Maya in the bloodbath  
"Nesie" Keiberger- Killed by Mina in the bloodbath**  
**

**Safyra Hope  
**Arto Green- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath**  
Ivan Hill  
Cal Barnes  
**Lucian Night- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath**  
**

Charlie Watsen- Died on the second day from a wound inflicted by Leighann**  
Violet Prior  
**Brooklynne Satire- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath**  
**

Reid Meyer- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath

**Terya Wylie**

Isabelle Catcher- Killed by Safyra in the bloodbath

**Chel Byrne**

Adian Kay- Killed by Arto in the bloodbath

**Darcy Eowyn**

**Jasper Jarrah**

Marly Gray- Killed by Baron in the bloodbath


	15. Deterioration

**Darcy Eowyn**

**District 10 Female Tribute**

I wake up and I see that it's a little bit after sunrise. I get up and my back cracks; I'm stiff all over. I shake all the gravel out of my dirty blonde hair. I'm about to head out when I notice something silver next to me and I smile. It looks like someone out there actually is rooting for the crazy girl from 10. I wonder if it's because I'm somehow likable or if everyone else is so dysfunctional that they think I might actually have a chance. I suppose for now it doesn't matter.

I lift up the silver parachute to see what goodies are beneath and see that there is a nice assortment of bread, meats and cheeses. It certainly wasn't the most expensive gift, but it will go a long way. All I've had to eat the past few days are a couple of berries. Now I'll be able to stay alive for a few more days at least. Provided of course that I'm not ambushed by some insane tribute, someone like I don't know, perhaps that psycho Terya?

I hate that girl so much. I know she is out there looking for me, trying to hunt me down well, two can play at that game; I'll have to hunt her down too. I saw that her district partner died in the bloodbath. I bet that heartless monster didn't even care about the fact that her partner was dead. What a selfish….

Aiden is dead.

I bury my face in my hands. I've known Aiden is dead for a while, I mean I saw his face up in the sky, but I never really thought about it that much. He was just another dead face up there, someone I knew but once the bloodbath was over all I could think about was my own life. I remember thinking about who got out alive and instead of wondering if my partner was alive all I could think about was if Terya was dead. Aiden was always really nice to me and I just ignored him. He just wanted to be my friend and I just shut him out. I've been shutting people out my whole life. I'm just alone.

What is wrong with me? I finally take my face out of my hands and stare at the deadly wall in front of me. I almost jump back in fright at what I see. The rock wall is shiny enough to see a reflection, and although it is distorted by the many angles it's clear the face looking back wasn't me. My big messy hair, small nose and freckles are replaced by a more boyish face, Aiden.

I rub my eyes and he's gone it's just me reflected in the rock. It's the stuff in the air; it's messing with my brain. It's prying on my fears and my insecurities, even my guilt. How am I supposed to handle this? I need to get a grip. I can't forget about what I need to do.

I need to kill Terya.

**Ivan Hill**

**District 8 Male Tribute**

Another day with the anti-careers. I can't say I particularly like or trust either of them, or that they like or trust me, but our survival is keeping us together for now. Too bad about our dead allies though. I guess they had to die sooner or later for me to get back to my brother and sister though. I'm glad that Cal and Safyra aren't the overly emotional types.

I've never really been an emotional guy; I don't have anything against emotional people I just don't get them. I feel weird when people cry and stuff, it's kinda awkward, I don't know how to act. I wonder what it would be like if I was allies with someone like Violet. She seems really emotional I guess. She kinda reminds me of my sister in that way.

I never really understood her, but I do love her and my brother. I don't care about a lot of things but I care about the two of them. They are all I really have left, I don't have friends, my dad ditched us and my mom killed herself. I have to get back to them, they need me.

I think I can do it, get back to them. It isn't going to be easy, I'm a realist, I don't think I will win, but that I can as long as I stay focused and don't get ahead of myself I can survive. I need to take things day by day. We've been rationing the food we managed to grab from the cornucopia, along with some we received yesterday in the form of a sponsor gift for Safyra. It's no surprise that she is the popular one of the group.

Popularity is another one of those things I've never pretended to understand. People like Safyra because she is pretty and not awkward like I am. That's fine, I don't hold it against her, and her popularity will help keep me alive.

Each of us brings something else important to the alliance. Obviously we all know how to fight, but each of our styles differs significantly. Cal may be crazy but he is the only tribute in here who has been in a real survival situation before and his experience will come in handy. Safyra is a trained career and knows how they think. I can survive with their help and I will help them survive. We won't be friends, none of us really have many friends back home and we certainly won't become friends in here.

Instead we can be allies.

**Jasper Jarrah**

**District 11 Male Tribute**

I've finally done it. I've gotten the damn thing dug up. It doesn't go that deep, only a few inches. It's about a foot and a half wide all the way around. I've knocked on it a few times, it sounds hollow, there is something beneath it. It could be anything, hidden food, or supplies, I hold out hope that it isn't some kind of trap.

The circle is pretty heavy, but I manage to get my fingers beneath it. At first I try to lift it, but I'm just too weak from days of starvation to do it. I end up just sliding it onto the gravel nearby. Even this is pretty exhausting. Once it's over I finally glance over into whatever the circle was covering. I have more questions than answers.

It's a hole, a deep hole, so deep I can't even see the bottom. There is a ladder too. Well, I didn't come this far just to run away because of a dark spooky hole where I might die. Very cautiously I grab the ladder and get ready to head down. I sit there with my hands clutching the ladder and my feet nervously trembling. I close my eyes out of fear; I still don't know what's waiting for me in the darkness below. I finally star to climb down because I'm afraid I'll slip and break my neck. I can deal with a fistfight during the bloodbath, instinct takes over, but this is awful. I have to think about this, I can't just fight; the fear of the unknown is much much worse.

After what seems like forever I finally reach the bottom. I nervously step off the ladder and onto a concrete floor. The room is in total darkness. I put my hand on the wall, which is also concrete and I can tell that it's curved. I slowly move around the room and I can tell it's a big circle. There is nothing in here.

I spend a bit more time checking out the wall and I only find a few grooves in the place. One is a tiny slit on the left, and then there is a much bigger one, big enough for me to crawl into if I wanted to. That's all. What is the point of this? Why make some random hole in the ground with nothing in it? It doesn't make any sense.

I hear a loud clunk from above and I freak out. I run back over to the ladder and hurry up it. About halfway up I realize there is no light coming down from above. I reach the top and see for myself what I already knew. The entrance has been sealed, it's not the rock from before, it's some kind of metal that slid out from the wall. It's completely sealed, I'm not getting out.

There can't be much air down here, I'll suffocate soon. I finally realize what this place is. A tomb.

**Terya Wylie**

**District 7 Female Tribute**

Fear is a strange thing. It can make the most sane person do the most insane things. Anger can have the same effect. I've been filled with a lot of both for the past few days. That can happen to a person when they see a large number of children murdered. And let's face it, I don't know if I was the most stable person to start out with anyway.

This place is turning me into something I don't like. All I can think about are terrible things. I think about my "rival" Darcy a lot. Sometimes it's because I'm afraid of her, I know she hates me as much as I hate her and I can't stop imagining her finding me in the night and slitting my throat or something much more painful. The other half of the time it's me killing her in some awful way. I don't know which thought is more disturbing.

I don't know exactly when I became such a hollow and cold hearted person, but this place is bringing out the worst in me. I used to be able to remember the good times so easily, back when I was a good person, before I became like this, but those memories are harder to grab now. The arena is messing with my mind. I don't want to die a monster, but is there any other option when you are reaped into the Hunger Games?

We have to kill, there is no choice. There is literally no other option. Well I suppose that isn't entirely true, I could avoid liking and simply wait for the other tributes of something else to kill me and of course there is always suicide. That's why Arto signed up in the first place, because he was done living, but even he found a reason to live and fight. Once he found his propose his life was needlessly stolen from him by some tribute and the Capitol.

Have I become a bully myself? Like one of the people who tormented Arto and I for years? It might seem immature and naive to think about things like "bullies" in terms of the Hunger Games, but I worry that I've become something I hate. Just look at the way I've been treating Darcy. She is not a career; she is some hick from 10. She may be a brat but does that mean I need to be the one to personally see she gets what she deserves?

All of my motivation is not from hope or anything uplifting like that, it comes from the hate and the fear. What will happen to me if I actually manage to kill Darcy, or anyone else for that matter? How will I live with myself if I actually win this thing? There is no way to win without killing others; I'll have blood on my hands forever. Even Darcy and the careers don't deserve death, and I'll probably have to kill others out there, good people, if I want to win.

It's terrible, but in a way I'm glad Arto was taken out by the careers, if we made it to the final few tributes and I had to be the one to kill him…I don't know how I would have handled it. Could I have killed him? Would he have killed me? None of these questions matter, so I shouldn't think about them. I just need to focus on what's real, and that's the tributes out there who are trying to kill me.

**Leighann Ash**

**District 11 Female Tribute**

Kayde woke me for my shift about an hour ago. He fell asleep pretty quickly, but I've been waiting to be safe. It's time to kill these bastards. I carefully remove the vial of poison from my pocket. No one in the arena knows that I have this, although I suppose the audience at home knows I do. I'm sure some camera caught me grabbing it during the bloodbath when all the other tributes were concerned about slicing each other's faces off. Caesar probably explained to the viewers at home what was in the vial and guessed my plan. I'm sure that plenty of people have been waiting for this exact moment.

I carefully unscrew the top of the vial and crouch over my first victim. I let the poison drip onto Mina's lips, making sure I use enough to kill her, but saving enough for the rest of my soon to be former allies. The poison will take a few minutes to fully take effect, enough time for me to make sure that I will be the last living career. I move away from Mina and on to my next victim, that pompous pretty boy Rook.

I stand over him tipping the vial and the first drop hits his lips. I jump as the sound of a cannon startles me. I lose the grip on my precious poison and it slips out of my hand spilling all over Rook's face where it harmlessly splashes, having no way to enter his system. All of my poison is gone and my plans are ruined, but that is the least of my worries now. The cannon has woken everyone.

My allies are stirring around me in a confused haze, and Mina is among them. Someone out there has died; it wasn't Mina's cannon. The timing could not be worse, after days of no deaths someone had to lose their pathetic life just as I was putting my master plan into action. Now things look very bad for me.

"What are you doing?" Kayde questions me.

Rook touches his face feeing the liquid, "What is this?"

Mina groans, "Ahh I feel like my insides are on fire, what is going on?"

Kayde spots the vial on the ground and I can see him putting the pieces together. "Mina, throw up!" He yells.

"What?" she mumbles in confusion.

"You've been poisoned; you need to get it out of your system, puke now!"

"I can't!" she responds as everyone else looks on in a tense confusion.

"Put your finger down your throat!" Mina desperately tries this but she can't make herself purge and soon enough keels over and her cannon sounds as well. For a moment we all stand around looking at each other not knowing what will happen next.

"What just happened?" Baron stupidly asks.

"It was Maya," Kayde says softly, "She poisoned her, she was trying to till us, but we were woken up by the cannon."

"No," I stutter, "It's not true….I…." I know I'm not talking my way out of this one.

"Is that what's on my face, poison?" Rook shrieks. I use this moment while the boys are distracted by his pathetic cries to grab one of Mina's swords and charge Kayde.

* * *

**So sorry that I was an entire month late updating, I had a very busy April, but I have returned! I'll do my best to never do this to you guys again and I really apriciate everyone who has remained loyal to this story despite how incosistent I've been. I'm going to try and update the rest of Part II realitivly quickly, especially since I left you with a cliffhanger here. Just know that I won't stop writing this story as long as one person is reading it!**

**Rook Delacroix  
Kayde Roberts  
**Mina Sablier-posioned by Leighann**  
Baron Aleric  
**Maya Blake- Killed by Cal in the bloodbath**  
Leighann Ash  
**

Ekronik Rodell- Killed by Maya in the bloodbath  
"Nesie" Keiberger- Killed by Mina in the bloodbath**  
**

**Safyra Hope  
**Arto Green- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath**  
Ivan Hill  
Cal Barnes  
**Lucian Night- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath**  
**

Charlie Watsen- Died on the second day from a wound inflicted by Leighann**  
Violet Prior  
**Brooklynne Satire- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath**  
**

Reid Meyer- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath

**Terya Wylie**

Isabelle Catcher- Killed by Safyra in the bloodbath

**Chel Byrne**

Adian Kay- Killed by Arto in the bloodbath

**Darcy Eowyn**

**Jasper Jarrah**

Marly Gray- Killed by Baron in the bloodbath


	16. The Break of the Career Pack

**Kayde Roberts**

**District 2 Male Tribute**

Leighann charges at me with the sword she just grabbed from the girl she just murdered. Baron hesitates for a second; he's in shock; unable to really believe what he just saw. I don't waste any time grabbing one of my whips. Rook is clutching his face screaming, and he runs away from the rest of us crying about ruining his face. Between his hands I can see his face it's fine, it's not his face that's ruined it's his mind. Prettyboy's lost it; that was poison, not acid, it won't do anything to hurt him unless he drinks it, but he's convinced it's burned his face or something.

Leighann doesn't pay any attention to Rook as he runs off somewhere and I lose track of him too, I have other things on my mind. Leighann changes course and heads for a weaponless Baron, taking advantage of his hesitance. I react quickly, cracking my whip and hitting Leighann in the hand. She reels back in pain and I can see the blood gushing out of her hand, but she still doesn't drop her sword.

The attack has bought Baron a few seconds though, and he doesn't waste them. He quickly grabs his knife and is ready to defend himself, but it's such a short knife that he'll need Leighann to attack him head on again to use it, and now it looks like she is much more interested in taking her rage out on me instead. I use my whip on her again, cutting her upper arm, but this time she knows it's was coming and manages to step on it after my hit lands. She gives me a quick evil smile and cuts the whip in one motion.

She makes her way over to me, just like she did to Baron a minute ago, and now my weapon is gone. I'm going to have to fight her with my fists or something. My bare hands against her sword don't make it much of a fair fight, but maybe I have a chance, after all she was never supposed to be a career originally. I suddenly remember that it was my deciding vote that brought her into our alliance in the first place. Well I guess that was a bad call in retrospect.

She's a foot from me ready to attack and I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do once she starts swinging that sword, die probably. "Goodbye Kayde," she says, but then I hear a sort of whoosh sound and the evil smile on her face disappears and her eyes roll back into her head. She falls forward and her face hits the ground with a loud crunch, her nose probably just broke. Not that it a matter, Baron's knife is stuck in the back of her head and a cannon confirms that the bitch is dead.

I look up at Baron, he is still standing in a throwing position; he must have just frozen after chucking his knife at her skull. We just kind of stare at each other for a while, not sure what to say. We both just saved each other's lives from someone we thought was an ally. As for Rook, there is no sign of him; he is long gone, he must have run off into the maze. I'm not sure if he ran because he was a coward of because or just because he lost his mind, but it doesn't matter. Our other ally is dead.

Baron and I are the last careers. All we have is each other.

**Rook Delacroix**

**District 1 Male Tribute**

My face, my beautiful face! She ruined it with that poison; I could feel it eating away my precious skin, melting my perfect beautiful face! I'm a hideous monster! My life is over; I'll have to live the rest of my life as some kind of freak. How dare she drop that poison all over my face, I wish she would have just killed me. It's not fair! I'll kill them! I'll kill everyone!

If I can't be handsome anymore then I'm not going to let anyone else survive, they all need to have their lives taken away, just like my looks were taken away. I will kill every single tribute out there without hesitation, I'll slaughter them! It will be easy, just like when I killed those pathetic tributes at the bloodbath, I can't even remember their names anymore. I can hear maniacal laughter, my own laughter. It's not funny, nothing about any of this is funny, it's more like I have nothing left and all I can do is laugh.

I will show the other tributes the pain that I feel. The poison didn't hurt, my pain was emotional, but theirs will be physical. I'll slice them up; I'm actually starting to look forward to it. Too bad I left in such a hurry, I didn't grab a weapon. Oh well, the arena is full of weapons, the walls are sharp, I saw Maya killed on the spikes way back on the first day, so I know I can use them to kill.

I take off my belt and wrap it around my hand. I walk over to the wall and crack off a sharp chunk. The belt does a pretty good job protecting my hand but it still draws a bit of blood. I see it trickle down my arm. It's mesmerizing. I cut off a chunk of my pants and use it along with the belt as a makeshift handle. I now have a weapon again. Good. I don't need some fancy sword from the cornucopia to kill, as long as I have something sharp to stab the other tributes with I'll be fine.

The other stupid ugly tributes will be no match for me, I will kill every last one of them, all I have to do is find them, then the fun can start. Yes, I will destroy them all, I will let their blood wash over me, and when I win these games I can have some Capitol person fix my face. They will give me surgery, I'll get my face back, I'll get my life back. Until then I'm as good as dead, and soon all the other tributes will be too!

**Chel Bryne**

**District 9 Female Tribute**

The first cannon woke me up last night, then there were two more. That makes ten of us. I'm getting closer. I wonder who died. I'll know in a few hours. I almost don't want to know, now it's just three anonymous tributes that have will bring me closer to my own survival, but if I see who it was, then it's real. They become real people in my mind once I know who they are, or were I suppose. Like Marly. Even though it wasn't me who killed her and I feel a twinge of guilt every time I see another face projected in the sky while the anthem plays.

I haven't killed anyone but by simply living I am denying someone else life. Am I really more deserving of life than anyone else here? I didn't want to be here but the same can be said for most of the other tributes. I wonder if they are as scared as I am? Or if they feel as guilty. What about the ones who have actually killed people? Can they really close off their emotions after killing another person? I don't know how they would; even the brainwashed careers must have a conscience somewhere buried inside themselves. I'm sure soon enough that I'll have to be the one dealing with those emotions.

I'm strong, I'm sure in a fight I could handle myself, and come out alive. Then I'd have to live with myself, and the guilt of killing someone. It's basically inevitable. I will kill someone. I remember watching the games and being so judgmental of the tributes going around killing each other so indiscriminately. I thought they were cruel and evil, but now I'm living in this harsh reality where it's kill or be killed. Today may be the last day I live as someone who isn't a murderer; it may be my last day ever in fact.

I wonder if the people watching me from their homes are as naive as I was about the games and the tributes. Do they see me as a monster for leaving Marly for dead? What about my sadistic district partner, how do they see him? Maybe he is a hero to them for creating a group of tributes to fight the careers? What if we came face to face? I would try my hardest to kill him, because if there is one thing I am sure of it's that he is a monster. One less monster in the world is a good thing.

They would probably hate me back home for killing one of my own, but my own survival means more to me than popularity. If I'm drawn into a fight with another tribute I don't care who it is I will protect myself.

**Violet Prior**

**District 5 Female Tribute**

I used to think I knew what it felt like to be lonely, but I was wrong. I felt alone when Dale and Azeika died. I felt alone when I was reaped and was taken away from my home and Lysander. I felt empty both of those times, but these past few days have been worse than anything I've ever experienced. I still don't have Lysander Dale or Azeika and now Charlie is dead too. I've just been out here in this horrible place completely alone for the past few days. I've lost track of how long it's been since he died, everything starts to run together.

I've just been running around eating whatever I can find in the arena to hold off starvation. My mental state is about the same as my physical one, not good. I would have just given up a long time ago if it hadn't been for what Charlie said right before he died. He made me promise that I would try and win this thing for love; he told me that what Lysander and I have is special.

Charlie's story was a tragic one, maybe even more than Dale and Azeika's story. It's because of them that I keep going but I don't know how I'm supposed to make it, I'm on the brink of starvation already, I'm not going to attract many sponsors, I'm just some sad little girl who cries all the time and I don't know I have it in me to kill a person, but I still need to keep going.

Lysander and the memory of Charlie are the only things I have to hold onto. I keep feeling that my sanity is about to slip away, that something in the arena is trying to make me forget myself and give into hate and fear. Every time this happens I remember the sacrifices my friends have made and the hope that I can see Lysander again and I hold out a bit longer.

I wonder what it's like for the other tributes. If Charlie really was right and the love I have is so rare, then what are they holding on to? Maybe they have gone crazy, lost themselves in here, I hope they haven't. I know it's stupid to hope that my opponents are feeling alright but I would never wish such a terrible thing on anyone, I hope they have found something to cling to because this place could turn the nicest person into a crazed murderer.

The anthem begins and I glance into the air. The first two profiles they show are the girls from the career pack. I guess the pack broke. It happens every year, but I feel bad, some of them must have been friends, and friends killing each other is just about the saddest thing I can imagine, which is saying a lot after what I've seen. At least Charlie and I never had to worry about that. It looks like the arena has already started to turn people into cold murderers who will turn on their friends.

Just keep thinking of Lysander, don't let that happen to you, remember who you are.

The last face in the sky is the boy from 11, Jasper. This hits me even harder than I expected. I didn't know him personally, but I always thought he reminded me a lot of Charlie. They were both rebellious and brave, they were good people. I feel like Charlie has died all over again, and I start to cry for the millionth time.

I clutch the locket Lysander gave me in my hand, I need to keep going.

**Cal Barns**

**Distict 9 Male**

"So what now?" Ivan asks. The three of us are huddled around a small fire that we managed to start yesterday.

"Isn't it obvious?" I say. "The careers are broken, we have waited long enough; we kill them."

"You think we can find the cornucopia again, in this maze?" Safyra asks skeptically.

"If the gamemakers want us to find them, we will," I answer.

"You really want to go after the careers? You really think that's a good idea?"

"Do you think we can't handle them?"

"We can take them," Ivan rejoins the conversation.

"Good," I say, "Finally some confidence."

"What's the plan then?" Safyra asks and I detect a bit of nervousness in her voice.

"We head out now, we only take what we need for the trip; there should be plenty of supplies at the cornucopia. We aren't coming back here, once we kill off whatever's left of the career pack we will hold the cornucopia."

"Do you think they will still be hanging around there?" Ivan asks.

"The cornucopia is the best spot in the arena, the survivors of the career break up will try and stay there as long as they can."

"He's right," Safyra adds, "They're arrogant, they won't abandon the cornucopia unless they absolutely have to; they will think they can hold it. They overestimate themselves."

"You still holding that grudge against them?" Ivan asks.

"I'm just mad someone else took out Leighann, I would have like to have been there, but there are plenty of other arrogant careers I wouldn't mind seeing disappear," she answers.

My allies have a lot of fight in them, they are each real contenders to win the games. That works for me well now, and I'm sure that it will help me take out the careers and the rest of the other tributes, but I need to start thinking long term. Once the careers are gone my own allies will be the biggest threat, and no alliance lasts forever in the games.

First I destroy the careers, then I take out the anit-careers.

* * *

**Rook Delacroix**

**Kayde Roberts  
**Mina Sablier-Posioned by Leighann on the fourth night**  
Baron Aleric  
**Maya Blake- Killed by Cal in the bloodbath**  
**

Leighann Ash- Killed by Baron on the fourth night**  
**

Ekronik Rodell- Killed by Maya in the bloodbath  
"Nesie" Keiberger- Killed by Mina in the bloodbath**  
**

**Safyra Hope  
**Arto Green- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath**  
Ivan Hill  
Cal Barnes  
**Lucian Night- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath**  
**

Charlie Watsen- Died on the second day from a wound inflicted by Leighann**  
Violet Prior  
**Brooklynne Satire- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath**  
**

Reid Meyer- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath

**Terya Wylie**

Isabelle Catcher- Killed by Safyra in the bloodbath

**Chel Byrne**

Adian Kay- Killed by Arto in the bloodbath

**Darcy Eowyn**

Jasper Jarrah-Killed in a trap on the fourth night

Marly Gray- Killed by Baron in the bloodbath


	17. Friends and Rivals

**Baron Aleric**

**District 4 Male Tribute**

Kayde and I haven't said much since the whole thing with Leighann. We saved each other's lives that night and I keep asking myself the same question over and over; would I have saved Kayde's life if he hadn't saved mine? If Leighann had attacked him first would I have let her kill him before I threw that knife just so I could have one less strong competitor out there? No matter how many times I ask myself I am no closer to getting an answer.

Before that fight I felt no real loyalty to Kayde, he isn't from my district like Maya was; he is the son of a worker from 2, why should I care about his life? And more importantly, why did he care about mine? Leighann would have killed me, but he put himself in danger to save me. It doesn't make any sense.

Maybe I've misjudged him all along; maybe we are more alike than I thought. He is in these games to prove something to himself just like I am. Maybe I really can trust this kid; maybe I could even consider him a friend. I didn't have the luxury of having a lot of friends back in 4, family was more important. Would anyone in my family have done what Kayde did? My father is probably angry at me right now for letting myself get into such a position, letting my guard down for a moment while Leighann attacked. He'd still be yelling at me.

Kayde on the other hand hasn't mentioned it once, he isn't searching for gratitude. I know I saved his life too, but he was only in danger because he saved me in the first place. He hasn't asked for so much as a thank you. I don't get it.

Does this mean I can actually trust him? Trusting anyone is a dangerous idea, and trusting anyone in the Hunger Games is sure to get me killed. Betrayals are a certainty in this place, especially with the careers. But haven't the careers already broken; it's supposed to be every man for himself once that happens, so why spare me? Would he spare me today so he could kill me himself later? Can I trust him to go with me to the end?

I'm not used to having someone look out for me. Growing up I was the disappointing weakling, the outsider. I never trusted anyone, I had to listen to others, learn their secrets, I didn't have friends; I was on my own. Is Kayde my friend? Allies remain allies as long as it is convenient, but could I call what Kayde and I have something more than that? I wrote him off for being poor like so many wrote me off for being the runt. Kayde has proved to be loyal and just through the Games so far; he didn't just save me, he tried to save Mina too.

Maybe having a friend wouldn't be such a bad thing.

**Safyra Hope**

**District 1 Female Tribute**

We've stopped for the night. Cal was right; the gamemakers do seem to be leading us back to the cornucopia. I think that they can move the walls around; change the paths to push tributes in whatever direction they want because we haven't had to deal with many of the twists and turns we came across on when we were heading the opposite direction after the bloodbath. At this rate we should find the careers tomorrow.

I hesitated a bit when we came up with the plan to hunt down the careers yesterday, but it wasn't because I was afraid of them. Something about hunting down the other tributes doesn't seem right, it makes me feel a bit like the bullies back home that used to pick on me. With the exception of Rook I really don't have anything against living careers.

That doesn't mean that I won't do what I need to though. I can't listen to my conscience in the Hunger Games; I need to do whatever I can to survive. It sucks that I have to become so cruel, but I have no choice. No one is going to judge me for what I do in here; who wouldn't do the same? When I do finally win I can go home and never have to deal with any of those girls again. I need to shut out the emotions.

I can learn a thing or two about shutting out emotions from my allies, both of them are so closed off. I don't think I've ever seen Ivan show any real emotions, he just kind of says whatever's on his mind. He is just focused on fighting and getting back to his sister. Cal is just as cold, but he is much more calculating. There is no questioning who the leader of this alliance is.

It works in my favor if he thinks that he is the only one that is planning anything. For now I'll continue to play the dumb blonde who just follows the orders of Cal; no one will suspect that I am smarter than any of them. I know that Cal is thinking in the long term, and that means that I need to as well. Once the careers are finished we are going to be the only group left and the strongest tributes. I don't know how long it will take for Cal to betray me, but I know its coming.

If he thinks I'm an idiot he won't suspect me having figured out his plan, I can remain one step ahead of him, and if I need to, I'll take him out myself.

**Kayde Roberts**

**District 2 Male Tribute**

"Kayde," Baron speaks up for the first time in hours.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for saving me back there."

This takes me a bit by surprise. "Yeah…" I begin, "You saved me too. We're allies."

"I know, but with Mina and Maya dead, Rook abandoning us, and Leighann betraying the group I kinda figured the alliance was over, that you didn't owe me anything, you could have let Leighann kill me. One less competitor."

The look on Baron's face isn't one I've ever seen before; at least it isn't an emotion that I've seen Baron show. He looks genuine, like he is trying to relate and understand me. He is usually hiding behind all the pride of his father, even though everyone knows how ashamed his dad is of him. Baron hasn't ever let any of us in. Something has changed.

"Well the careers may have broken, but I wasn't about to sit back and watch as Leighann murdered you, careers or not, you're still my ally." I'm not entirely sure if I really can trust Baron, but he doesn't seem like the type to betray an ally. I never had planned to stay with the careers, but as I just pointed out there really aren't any more careers. We're just two guys trying to make it to the end, and if I can have someone there to help me make it to the final two, then I'm alright with that. Especially with Cal's group out there. "We are still allies aren't we?"

Baron takes a second to answer, "Yes, I can trust you, I mean, we can trust each other." Baron actually seems sincere. We have been through a lot together; we've fought side by side in the bloodbath, survived Leighann, and both of us watched our district partners die.

"How did you handle it when Maya died?" I ask him.

He shrugs, "We were friends I guess," he says lingering on the word friends. "I was very angry when she died…and sad too."

"Mina almost killed Rook after the bloodbath, she blamed him for it," I tell him.

"I heard, Mina was a good person, how are you handling that?"

Now it's my turn to shrug. "It's still pretty fresh, I kinda can't believe it, in fact I kinda can't believe any of this."

"Yeah…" Baron sighs, "You prepare for so long, you think you're ready, but…."

"Yeah." I understand. We sit in silence for a moment until I finally ask him the first thing that pops into my head, "You have any siblings?"

"Yeah….younger sister."

"Me too," I smile thinking of Leeylla and how she tried to convince me not to go into the games. A tiny part of me wished I had listened to her and Chace. "You and your sister get along?"

"No," he says solemnly.

"Oh, sorry, that sucks," I frown.

"Yeah, she is the perfect little girl, my dad's favorite. She is supposed to be the one to carry on his legacy."

"Don't worry about them," I say, "You've already made it to the final ten and outlasted some of the strongest tributes, your family should be proud."

"Do you think your family is proud of you?" he asks and I can see him beginning to tear up a bit.

"I…I don't know…they didn't want me to volunteer, but I know they will want me to come home and I'm sure your family does too."

Baron smiles. "Thanks man, let's make sure one of us gets back to our families."

I smile too, but his words only depress me, because either me or my friend will not be able to ever see our family again. Maybe neither of us will.

**Darcy Eowyn**

**District 10 Female Tribute**

I found it!

About an hour ago, around sunrise, I thought I heard the trickle of water. I thought maybe it was my imagination, just the stuff in the air messing with my brain, but now I know it's real. I rush over to the pool of water and quickly begin drinking. I've never been so happy to get a cool drink of water in my life. The last pond I found dried up the night after I found it so I need to make sure not to waste any of this. This one will probably dry up pretty soon too.

I thought it would be a good idea to hide by the last pond I found for as long as I could, but the gamemakers must want us to keep moving. I guess a tribute sitting around covered in rocks isn't great TV. But, I can't complain I have water again, I'll make it another day. I smile and lean forward to take another drink when I see something in the water that stops me.

It's a reflection, another person is standing behind me, and I can tell who it is. Terya. This is the second time I've imagined seeing her reflection; I take a deep breath and look over my shoulder just to be sure. But I'm not imagining things this time, there she is, Terya standing a few feet away from me. She is real. I get it now. The water was supposed to bring us together, we're both thirsty after all.

Terya is just standing there, staring at me. I can't explain the look on her face. It isn't like when I've seen her scowling at me before, it's very weird. It's almost sad. Why didn't she attack me when my back was turned, what kind of game is she playing?

Neither of us moves. I think about trying to run for a second, but that isn't what I really want. Even if I get away from her now I'll know she is out there looking for me and the gameakers will just help her find me again, this is what the audience has been waiting for.

I think I flinch and then I'm not sure exactly what happens next. End up tangled together, she doesn't have a weapon and I don't' either. Everything is happening so quickly I can't even process it. I spent a few hours at the hand to hand combat station during training learning about jabs and stances and all that, but all that seems pretty useless now. We aren't on our feet punching each other, were just tangled together on the ground.

Gravel is in my hair and my eyes; I'm on my back one second and rolled over on my side the next. I am clawing at her stupid face with my nails and I manage to scratch her cheek pretty bad, even drawing some blood. She pulls my hair and elbows me in the throat. I frantically kick her in the shin and for a second we are separated.

In that moment I see the rage in her eyes, the hatred that was gone when she stared at me is back and then some. Were tangled together again, scratching and kicking and biting. I wonder how crazy I look right now. Is it anything like Terya looks? I really hope not. She grabs my left arm and holds it down but I use my free hand to gouge one of her eyes. She screams and I do some of my own hair pulling, but Terya comes back with a vengeance.

She lets go of my left arm but grabs my neck instead and soon both her hands are around my throat. One of her knees presses against my chest and the other pins down my left arm again. I use my free hand to try and grab her face, but all I can do is harmlessly bat at her. I grab her face now, just trying to cause some pain, just do anything, but it's useless.

I frantically try to unpin myself but I can't manage. I continue to squirm in terror. My body knows its loosing oxygen and it's doing everything to try to save itself. I just frail around frantically and begin to cry. The sounds of the world, the shifting gravel and Terya's heavy breathing begin to fade away and are replaced by a loud thumping. It's my own heartbeat.

It's pounding so quickly at first. Then everything begins to slow down. Slowly but surely I feel my hand, which was just on Terya's face, slip and hit the gravel. I tell my hand to hit her, but it won't listen anymore, it just lays there. Everything begins to fade to back. The thumping is still there but now it's so….. slow. It's …so….. faint. Everything….. is slipping…..aw…..

**Terya Wylie**

**District 7 Female Tribute**

I keep my hands around her neck for a while after the cannon sounds. It might be a minute, or maybe it's an hour. I think I'm in shock. She is dead, Darcy, the brat, my enemy, my greatest rival. I should be relived. At least I should not feel so angry. All the rage that I just felt while we were fighting is still inside me.

I back away from her corpse and look at my hands. I touch my check where she scratched me and I feel the four distinct lines etched into my cheek. I can feel my own sticky blood on my hand and cheek but I can't feel any pain. Maybe it's the adrenalin. I'm still so angry.

I could feel the anger within me the moment I saw her. It was like some kind of caged animal, it wanted to get out so badly, but I didn't want it to. I haven't liked the way the rage has made me feel, I'm not some psycho who thrives on hatred like Cal. Then the fight started. The anger got out and it took over. I hate her so much, once we started fighting killing her was the only option.

Now the anger is out and there is no way to control it. Why isn't it gone? Darcy is dead, so what am I mad at? It's not the gamemakers or any of the other tributes; it's not even the memory of Darcy that's making me so furious. I don't understand.

Am I angry at myself? For what? What choice did I have? It's the games, we all kill in here? Darcy wanted to kill me just as badly as I wanted to kill her. If I hadn't killed her I'd be the dead one right now. I did what I needed to. It wasn't my fault!

No, I'm not angry at myself for having to kill someone, I've been preparing for that since my name was taken out of that bowl. When I killed Darcy I lost myself. What I have been afraid of most isn't dying or killing, it's becoming something I hate. I've become a monster so filled with rage and hate that I can't control myself or even feel anything other than anger. I try to think of those back home I miss, people like my little sister Lila. I think of my dead friend Arto. I can't feel remorse or sorrow or longing, I can still only hate.

I have lost myself.

I hear the hovercraft and see Darcy's body picked up and disappear into the sky where I left her. I remember her face as I killed her, I could feel her tears on my hands. I sit down on the gravel. I want to cry too.

I can't.

* * *

**Hey everybody, looks like I actually updated on time for once! I just want to take a second and thank those who defended me in their reviews last chapter, it meant the world to me and I'm so glad to have such awesome and loyal readers. A special shout out to Katniss Peeta Perfect who wrote an amazing review defending me. Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as well, a lot went on and I want to know what you guys think!**

**Rook Delacroix**

**Kayde Roberts  
**Mina Sablier-Posioned by Leighann on the fourth night**  
Baron Aleric  
**Maya Blake- Killed by Cal in the bloodbath**  
**

Leighann Ash- Killed by Baron on the fourth night**  
**

Ekronik Rodell- Killed by Maya in the bloodbath  
"Nesie" Keiberger- Killed by Mina in the bloodbath**  
**

**Safyra Hope  
**Arto Green- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath**  
Ivan Hill  
Cal Barnes  
**Lucian Night- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath**  
**

Charlie Watsen- Died on the second day from a wound inflicted by Leighann**  
Violet Prior  
**Brooklynne Satire- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath**  
**

Reid Meyer- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath

**Terya Wylie**

Isabelle Catcher- Killed by Safyra in the bloodbath

**Chel Byrne**

Adian Kay- Killed by Arto in the bloodbath

Darcy Eowyn- Killed by Terya on the sixth day

Jasper Jarrah-Killed in a trap on the fourth night

Marly Gray- Killed by Baron in the bloodbath


	18. Love

**Violet Prior**

**District 5 Female Tribute**

It's been a day since I've had anything to eat. Before that all I found were a few berries, and now it feel like my stomach is eating itself. I've lost a lot of weight, and I was pretty skinny to start with; now I feel like I'm fading away into nothing. I need to keep going though, I made a promise to Charlie and to myself that I would try to see Lysander again, that I would try and win for love. I believe in myself, that I can find a way to win these games somehow with as little innocent blood on my hands as possible, but I need to find food quickly.

Its dark out so I don't know how good my chances of finding anything are and if I fall asleep I don't even know if I'll wake up. I could die in my sleep from of dehydration or hunger, and of course someone could always find me while I'm asleep.

I miss Lysander so much, all I want is to get back to my life with him. I know he is out there watching me, rooting for me, hoping that I can make it back. I can't let him down. I need to find food and water. I'm so close to the end, there are only nine of us now. I made it this far against all odds; I know I can make it a bit further.

I just need to keep my senses sharp; that isn't easy in this place where even the air seems to be jumbling my brain, but I need to do it. I look around, but it's too dark to pick anything out and if I'm not careful I'll run into a wall and kill myself. Maybe if I listen I can hear the trickle of water and find a pond.

No, that isn't working either. I can't exactly rely on smell to find anything. I take a deep breath, I don't know what to do. I glance at the starless sky above me for no particular reason when something catches my eye. Something silver!

The parachute drops down only a few feet in front of me. I rush over to it making much more noise than I should, but right now I don't care. Inside are; a few bottles of water, a spoon a fork, and a metal pot. I open the pot and I instantly notice a familiar smell. It's goulash.

This isn't some gift from the Capitol, they definitely don't eat this there; this is a gift from home. It's potatoes with a kind of meat sauce on top with all kinds of good stuff mixed in. It's defiantly not fancy, but it's cheap, easy to make and delicious. It's a piece of District 5 here in the arena.

I wonder how expensive it was for the people back home to bring me this food. It couldn't have come cheap so late into the games. I wonder if I really can inspire people like my friends did. I need to win, not just for me, or for Lysander, but for everyone back home, I need to make it so that their gift to me isn't wasted, so that their money spent to keep me alive actually does.

I grab a fork and start chowing down. This is by far the best goulash I have ever tasted.

**Chel Bryne**

**District 9 Female Tribute**

It's very cold here at night. It gets colder every night actually. It seems to at least, maybe it's actually that the days are hotter, who knows how the gamemakers are tormenting us? I clutch the knife I got from the bloodbath close to me. It is my most valuable possession. I can't avoid the other tributes forever. Someone is going to find me sooner or later. At the rate tributes have been dying I'd say it'll be sooner.

Just yesterday another one, the girl from ten died. She was so shy, so dreamy so innocent. A lot of people liked her. I wonder, did she stay that way or did this place wake her up to the harsh realities of the world like it did to me? Did she remain innocent, or did she realize that in this place innocence will only bring your own death? And what about her murderer, was it a career, someone who trained to kill or was it someone like me. Someone who would never dream of killing, but was forced into doing something unthinkable for her own survival? There are still a few of us seemingly normal people out here, and we are all looking to kill each other.

It might be funny if it weren't so awful. In fact I think I'm laughing. No, I'm not that crazy. Is there someone else there, or have I just finally lost it? I'm not sure which would be worse. If it is someone else at least after the fight the problem will be solved, if I'm just going crazy then I'm really in trouble.

I open my eyes, but it doesn't help, I'm surrounded by darkness. The laughter hasn't stopped. It's a kind of insane, frightening laughter, like I've never heard before. Where is it coming from? I still am clutching my knife, ready for whoever is out there. The insane laugh just keeps echoing all around me.

"Who's out there?" I shout. I'm a bit shocked at the sound of my own voice, I haven't heard it in days, it's gotten so scratchy.

The laughter gets even louder for a second, and then becomes a voice, "Why hello there, you are a pretty one aren't you." The voice is familiar, I recognize it from training, but I can't quite place it. "Such a pretty face, it really would be a shame if something were to happen to it."

The voice is different now, I remember it being more playful and flirtatious in the Capitol, now its creepy and sinister. "Such a pretty girl, what a waste, of course there are plenty of pretty girls in the Capitol, much prettier than you, and I'll be having plenty of fun with them soon," he ends this with another cackle.

"I'll kill you!" I shout into the dark.

"You know we could just have some fun before I cut the skin off your face, it has been a while since I got any."

I shout a profanity at the voice, but he doesn't seemed fazed at all, if anything it's encouraging him. "Yes, you really seem like you could use it too, you should learn to loosen up."

This voice, this looming threat is terrifying, I was ready for death, but not for this….

"Try anything and I'll kill you!"

"Weren't you going to do that anyway?" He says while laughing.

I don't want to die, not here, not like this. Just when I thought I knew the depths of insanity and what this place could do to a person I am faced with this. The games have turned this boy into a monster; I am far more terrified than I was at the bloodbath, or at any other point in my life for that matter. I can feel the goose bumps on my skin, a chill running down my spine. I need to destroy this tribute.

Suddenly I realize the laughter has stopped and then I feel him run into me. I'm on the ground, wind knocked out of me, and I've dropped my knife.

**Rook Delacroix**

**District 1 Male Tribute**

Where did she go? "You can't hide from me," I shout.

There! I hear her shuffling around in the gravel. "Get back!" she yells at me.

"Sorry, can't do that," I say smiling. I can hear her breathing heavily. "Too bad about what's going to happen to your face, but everything beautiful is destroyed, that's the way of the world, I mean you aren't as attractive as my old friend Safyra, but you're not bad either. You're a nice warm up till I get to destroy the really beautiful tributes."

I can hear the girl breathing heavily, I'm scaring her. Good. "There you are," I say under my breath. I still have the sharpened weapon I broke off from the wall; it will be absolutely perfect for cutting up this pretty little thing.

I lunge forward at her and I can feel my sharp blade penetrate her flesh, and I feel the blood rush out not long after. She screams. It brings back good memories. "Well that was fun," I say drawing the blade out. "Let's try that again!"

"What the hell is wrong with you, are you insane?"

"Insane, of course not, I've simply woken up!" I take another swipe at her but she manages avoid it. "Oh come on, don't be coy, let me stick it in again!" I take another stab at her and this time I get the satisfaction of contact. "Hah!" What a feeling; I killed a few tributes in the bloodbath, but this really is something special, it's never been like this before.

"Now I just need to carve up that face of yours then I can finish you off!" I grab her hair and yank her to the ground. She hits it hard, she certainly bruised and bleeding. It's a shame it's so dark, I'd really love to see my handiwork. Oh well there is always next time.

She has stopped breathing so hard now, the terror must have really set in, I hope she's in shock; that would make this even more fun. I suppose she isn't because I can still hear her hand moving around in the gravel, she is probably shaking in fear.

I put the point of my weapon on her face and cut her down the cheek. I lift my blade, this isn't going to be over quickly. The shock has finally set in completely; even her hand isn't rummaging through the gravel anymore. "Goodbye," I say.

"Goodbye," she replies. Oh how cute she-

I feel the knife slide into my neck and I fall into the gravel, a messy heap. "Thanks for giving me time to find my knife; you should have just killed me quickly," she pants.

No! I can't die like this! My face will never be repaired; it's covered in scars and blood! This can't possibly be it for me. The girl pulls the knife from my neck and the blood flows out of me even faster. I try to yell something but my neck is so ruined that I can't even speak.

This is not how I, the great and handsome Rook Delacroix, was supposed to die, a mute ugly freak.

**Lysander Knight**

**District 5**

I can see the T.V. out of the corner of my eye while the people from the capitol pin on my microphone and double check my makeup. "What an interesting turn of events!" Caesar begins. "Who thought that a female tribute from 9 would be able to defeat a trained career?"

"Well," Claudius Templesmith, the games announcer, chimes in, "He did go a bit off the deep end towards the end there didn't he?"

"He most certainly did!" Caesar agrees, "And that battle between Darcy and Terya, well my heart was pounding!"

"Yes quite an exciting battle, one all of us were anticipating," Claudius nods.

"Of course the real exciting battle is coming soon, the anti-careers will try and live up to their name and ambush the last two careers, I can hardly wait!" Caesar shouts. He takes a deep breath and begins again, "Well with Rooks death we are now at the final eight and we will be bringing you interviews with the final tributes families and a full reca-"

"You ready?" a new voice addresses me.

"Yeah," I say flattering my suit. They've gotten me all dressed up, the last time I looked this fancy was three years ago, when I did the interview for the 68th Games. A lot of the people they interview back then when Azeika made it to the final eight are back. We're told the Capitol will remember us.

Things are different this time. The district was on the verge of rebellion after Dale's death, so many of us were filled with rage. But this time it's almost like we are more hopeful. Maybe it's a naïve belief inspired by the last words of Charlie but people really do think that we Violet can come home. I've spent every hour I can going around gathering money from anyone who will listen and working extra hours so I can send her mentor money.

Seeing her face after she got that gift was the first time I was happy since she was reaped. I don't know what will happen to me if she doesn't make it back, she is the most important thing in my life. All I want is to see her again, to hold her hand, to kiss her, to hold her in my arms. It's like she has become a part of me and I can't imagine losing her.

I should have taken her far away from here long ago, we could have run, I should have known that the Capitol would be back for the friends of those that incited chaos in the District. If she dies I might end up like Alex, who blames himself for Azeika's death and has become bitter and filled with hatred for the Capitol.

Regardless of what happens I will love her for the rest of my life. The red light of the camera comes on and I begin my interview.

**Ivan Hill**

**District 8 Male Tribute**

I've got the last shift; it's my job to wake everybody up so we can attack whatever is left of the careers. Rook died yesterday, so it looks like we will only need to deal with two careers. I'm just glad this stupid hike to the center of the arena is going to be over. We've been wandering around this stupid maze for two days.

Now we're at the end, or we're back to the beginning I guess. It's going to be a good fight, a real fight. I can feel my heart beat faster just thinking about it. I loved those fight clubs back home so much, but I gave up going to them so I could stay safe for my family, so I could be there to protect them. It's weird, now I need to fight in order to be there for my family. And this isn't just some brawl; it's a fight to the death.

That isn't the only way it's different though, here I have allies, I didn't anyone on my side in 8. But I dunno if I really could say that either of them is on my side. To them I'm just some moron who knows how to fight. I might make winning a bit easier for them, but they don't care about my life, or each other's. In fact it's pretty obvious that they are actively planning to kill each other once they get the chance. The only thing keeping them from betraying each other and me is the careers. I'm useful for now, but after the careers are dead there won't be a reason for the anti-carriers to stay together.

I dunno which one is gonna betray the other first but I'm going to get out as soon as possible, there is no shame in running away. Hopefully they will be so worried about each other I can just escape. It isn't safe to be around these two much longer.

Well, it's time to wake the psychos up. "Hey," I shake Safyra awake. She seems grumpy and doesn't say anything. Neither do I. I go over to Cal and wake him up too.

"Go away Skip," he says. I don't know why but I recognize Cal little brother's name when he calls me it.

"It's Ivan."

Cal looks a bit scared and confused for a second, but then he gets serious and pushes me. "I know, let's go, we have people to kill."

Here we go.

* * *

**That was the penultimate chapter for part 2! Hope you guys enjoyed it, I have big plans for the final chapter in 2 and very big plans for Part 3! Please tell me what you thought, as always your support and reviews are appreciated, love you guys!**

Rook Delacroix- Killed by Chel on the sixth night

**Kayde Roberts  
**Mina Sablier-Posioned by Leighann on the fourth night**  
Baron Aleric  
**Maya Blake- Killed by Cal in the bloodbath**  
**

Leighann Ash- Killed by Baron on the fourth night**  
**

Ekronik Rodell- Killed by Maya in the bloodbath  
"Nesie" Keiberger- Killed by Mina in the bloodbath**  
**

**Safyra Hope  
**Arto Green- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath**  
Ivan Hill  
Cal Barnes  
**Lucian Night- Killed by Kayde in the bloodbath**  
**

Charlie Watsen- Died on the second day from a wound inflicted by Leighann**  
Violet Prior  
**Brooklynne Satire- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath**  
**

Reid Meyer- Killed by Rook in the bloodbath

**Terya Wylie**

Isabelle Catcher- Killed by Safyra in the bloodbath

**Chel Byrne**

Adian Kay- Killed by Arto in the bloodbath

Darcy Eowyn- Killed by Terya on the sixth day

Jasper Jarrah-Killed in a trap on the fourth night

Marly Gray- Killed by Baron in the bloodbath


End file.
